Photo: @Capitals

It was all set. The plan was perfectly laid out. Former Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby was scheduled to go for his 300th career win against his old team on the same ice he won so many of his games.

Unfortunately the plan fell apart, as Holtby began dealing with a lower body injury about 10 days prior. He was out of Sunday’s game. But that wasn’t going to stop the tributes, signs and fan appreciation. There was no chance of that happening.

The Capitals played the much anticipated tribute video during the first television timeout. A time slot normally reserved for commercials, but not on this occasion. The tribute would continue into the start of play following the timeout.

Braden Holtby gets a hearty tribute video and a long ovation in his first return back to Capital One Arena since he left pic.twitter.com/M6cv2Kq3M0

— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) March 20, 2022

Holtby held a quick interview with the Stars broadcast outlet, Bally’s  Sports Southwest, immediately following the tribute video.

”Pretty amazing. Pretty special. It’s definitely strange being back to a place you’ve been so many times on the other side. This city is such a good hockey city. It’s amazing, the fans are incredible. They always treated me and my family so well. To get appreciation like that, I wish I could turn it around on them, somehow.”

After play resumed, fans serenaded Holtby with “Holtby, Holtby” chants for a short while pic.twitter.com/0WDwzQw7On

— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) March 20, 2022

“I had tears in my eyes,” Stars head coach Rick Bowness said. “That’s emotion. You’ve got to love the fans here. They’re passionate. I love it here. It shows the respect and love they have for Braden, as we all do. You get emotional watching it because that’s what hockey’s all about, right? The passion of the fans, the passion of the players. That’s what you love about this game,” added Bowness.

“He’s been unbelievable for me,” Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger told The Athletic. “First of all, he’s just a great guy so to see him get that type of ovation, obviously is very well-deserved. I kind of got emotional a little bit. I can’t imagine meaning that much to a fan base. Obviously, he got it done here. He’s a legend and he got the ovation he deserved. I just can’t say enough good things about how good he’s been to me. There’s a reason you only hear great things about him. We’re going to be friends for a really long time, even after hockey, so I was happy for him.”

The dreaded salary cap forced Holtby to look for employment elsewhere, and nobody can really blame him for that. He’s a family man with a relatively short earnings window. But one thing is for certain, Capitals fans will never get enough of Braden Holtby. He may have been born in Saskatchewan, but the DMV is his home.

By Jon Sorensen