Tuesday was the 500th NHL game and 293rd win for Braden Holtby. That’s a lot of games and a lot of wins. So many, in fact, that Holtby is now the winningest goalie through his first 500 games in NHL history. Not too shabby for a guy who just a few months ago went unclaimed in the NHL expansion draft and was placed on waivers by the Canucks, who wanted him gone so bad they were willing to buy out the remaining year of his deal.
But Holtby has since found a new crease to patrol in Dallas, and on Tuesday he took to the ice as a starting NHL goaltender for the 500th time. Deep in the third period of his history-making performance, Holtby decided to put a little spitshine on his new benchmark, dusting off an exceedingly rare triple save in what might well be best goalkeeping moment of the season when it’s all said and done. Check it out.
Uno, dos, tres, folks. Each one more cartoonishly eye-popping than last, capped by a preposterous, Dominik Hasek-esque glove save while lying prone on his side like a vintage pinup girl. The Stars broadcast does their part as well, punctuating the slo-mo replays with howls of ”GRAND LARCENY!” Great stuff all around, boys. Doing God’s work.
Haters, of course, will say they didn’t matter, with the Stars leading 4-1 with just about a minute remaining, but try telling that to a goalie. Saves have nothing to do with the scoreboard, they’re a matter of pride, and Holtby should feel pretty damn proud this morning.
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