NASHVILLE — Their relationship was still in its early stages, but as Mitch Korn sat next to Braden Holtby on the plane, he just had to know one thing.
“Do you consider yourself a blue-collar goalie?” Korn asked.
It was the fall of 2014, and the Washington Capitals were flying home after a loss in which Holtby had struggled. But he was sure of his answer: Yes. Holtby told Korn he had been raised on a cattle and grain farm in Saskatchewan. He was even more proud of his NHL roots, undrafted until the fourth round.