Braden Holtby brings Stanley Cup to hometown, childhood rink

Hockey’s holy grail was in small town Saskatchewan Tuesday as Washington Capitals star goaltender Braden Holtby brought the Stanley Cup to his childhood home.

Fans lined up in droves outside Lashburn’s CN Sportsplex to get an autograph from the starting netminder — who backstopped the Capitals to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship in June — and to get a photo with the trophy.

Fans lined up as far as the eye can see to meet @Holts170 and see the Stanley Cup here in Lashburn! pic.twitter.com/sVT6HeUJfX

— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) July 31, 2018

Holtby, who played for the Saskatoon Blades in major junior, was born in Lloydminster and grew up in Marshall — just 10 kilometres from Lashburn.

He spent time as a child playing in the nearby town, and has been involved with the rink since starting his NHL career.

The public appearance comes a day after Phil Pritchard, the “keeper of the Cup,” tweeted a photo of Holtby hoisting the cup in front of the Marshall grain elevator.

Braden Holtby’s turn with the #StanleyCup in Northern Saskatchewan (Marshall, SK) #StanleyCup @Capitals @NHL @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/gAk9cn6Azh

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 31, 2018

The cup also made a brief stop at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon Monday, where the Blades tweeted a picture of it sitting beside the statue and ashes of legendary Red Wings forward Gordie Howe.

Beyond Tuesday, the next publicly scheduled Saskatchewan appearance for the Stanley Cup is Aug. 24 when Saskatoon-born Chandler Stevenson will bring the trophy to Humboldt.

📸📸📸📸 #ALLCAPS #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/FNQHyqUVAJ

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 31, 2018