The goaltender for the Washington Capitals got to raise the Stanley Cup over his head last night after a third period come from behind victory against Las Vegas.
The battle has been a long one for Holtby and the Capitals. Since Holtby certified his job as a starter in 2013 the Caps have won two President’s trophies as the league’s best regular season team and have been legitimate Stanley Cup contenders for longer. The team had gained a reputation of achieving greatness in the regular season – including a Vezina trophy for Braden Holtby in 2016 – before bottoming out as disappointments in the playoffs. In the two seasons previous to this one, The Capitals lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round, and the Pens would go on to win the Cup.
The Capitals came into the season as a team that was supposed to be retooling and re-identifying themselves but turned into a redemption story for the ages. Emotions poured on to the ice as the players were reminded of the long, hard journeys they took to finally achieve their goal of winning a Stanley Cup. For Holtby, that journey began in Lloydminster.
Written by Chris Roach.