AP Photo
One day last summer, long before he would wander into the teeth of Madison Square Garden, Braden Holtby hired an airbrush artist in Sweden to paint a new motif onto his hockey mask. Holtby, from Marshall, Saskatchewan, asked for the image of a roller coaster, ridden by an unfazed bear -- a clear symbol of his bittersweet bond with Hershey, Pa. Hershey was home to the Capitals' top minor-league affiliate, the Bears; a dozen or so roller coasters; and, at this point, despite a sterling 1.79 goals-against average and 10-2-2 record with Washington last year, the young netminder himself.
"Hershey's a great place," explained Holtby's father, Greg, a farmer and former junior-hockey goalie. "But it wasn't where Braden was hoping to be."
Where his 22-year-old son...
About an hour before every game, Braden Holtby will find a spot in the arena and transform it into his personal reflection garden.At the Verizon Center, it is often behind the Capitals bench. At Madison Square Garden, it is in... more »
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The Washington Capitals aren’t as photogenic as they used to be. We may never, for instance, see Alexander Ovechkin score another goal while lying on his back. But what they’ve evolved into is much more pleasing to the... more »
The game and news conference were over when the coach walked into his office dressed in his usual black suit and red-sheen tie at 11:01 p.m. Wednesday following the Capitals’ 2-1 victory over the Rangers. At almost exactly... more »
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