Fleury, Holtby ready for challenge of Cup Final

The Coaches Room is a regular feature throughout the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs by one of four former NHL coaches and assistants, who will turn his critical gaze to the game and explain it through the lens of a teacher. Jim Corsi, David Marcoux, Paul MacLean and Joe Mullen will take turns providing insight.
In this edition, Marcoux, former goalie coach for the Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames, explores the background to the goaltending matchup in the Stanley Cup Final.

The goaltending matchup between Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights and Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals has so much depth and so many common characteristics that the Stanley Cup Final will be a must-see series for me.
RELATED: [Complete Golden Knights vs. Capitals series coverage]
Each No. 1 goalie has been playoff-tested in recent years and again this season.
Each has faced his share of adversity during those tests and has emerged better for the experience.
And each appears to me to be enjoying all the important moments during the drive for the Cup.
Fleury and Holtby have embraced their opportunities. They have been prepared. They have done in the playoffs what got them there in the first place. They showed impressive mental strength by handling all the ups and downs and ebbs and flows of every game. They have played like they will have no regrets.
Fleury, 33, is in the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight season. When you've been on that path, you learn a lot about yourself and what needs to happen around you in terms of the team -- specifically, how to get the players around you in the right frame of mind with a no-panic attitude.
I think Fleury has been able to show the way for many teammates who have not been to the Final before. They have gone from self-appointed misfits to perfect fits; at least that's the way I see it.
So far in these playoffs, Fleury has shown the ability to make game-changing saves. In that context, I can see him winning the Conn Smythe Trophy even if Vegas doesn't win the series. His journey has been so remarkable, all the way from being the first pick of the 2003 NHL Draft on to his extreme competitiveness, athleticism and enjoyment of the game.
I have written in the
Coaches Room recently about Fleury's first NHL season
, how the Pittsburgh Penguins were desperate for a new face for their franchise and how in that 2003-04 season his numbers weren't very good (4-14-2, 3.64 goals-against average, .896 save percentage) and as much as he loved the challenge, he wasn't really ready and he needed repetition and development.
Fleury is in a different organization now, and he's far better prepared to be the face of a franchise. He is Vegas, not to mention that he's a potential Conn Smythe winner. He has been able to deal with everything that has been thrown at him this season, up to and including fans standing in long lines waiting for his autograph after practices. In all of that, Fleury doesn't see pressure; he sees it as fun and a great opportunity to be "the guy."
And there is no question who is "the guy" in Vegas.
With the Capitals, there was some question about who was the starter at the beginning of these playoffs.

Holtby, 28, did not start Games 1 or 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Columbus Blue Jackets; Philipp Grubauer did. But there is no doubt who the Capitals are counting on in the Final.
Holtby, like Fleury, spent some time in the American Hockey League early in his career to help his development. He won the Calder Cup in 2010 with Hershey and has grown within the organization. To go through what he did at the start of the playoffs by not starting the first round was curious to me. I'm sure we'll find out at some point whether it was because of an injury or just a coach's decision.
But in the end, the most important thing was that he worked on his game, stayed hungry and was ready for an opportunity, just like Fleury had to do when he was Matt Murray's backup during the Penguins' Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017.
Holtby would be familiar with that story. You can bet he was certain that he, too, could wait it out and be a good teammate and prove people wrong; that once the net came back to him, he would go in and know the players were going to battle and work hard for him.
The ability to be patient and not lose your mind, that kind of mental discipline, that calm, composed and patient approach, that speaks to Holtby's abilities both on and off the ice.
There are some subtle differences in the two goalies that could come into play in the Final.
For sure, one is Holtby's superior ability to handle the puck. He's able to put it on a teammate's tape and help his team get out of its zone quickly and safely. The Capitals, if they do their homework, might consider trying to catch Fleury in this area. He's had some trouble in his past with handling the puck, though to be sure he's been very careful and kept it very simple in these playoffs, not wanting to be part of the turnovers and the chaos they can create.
Another difference is demeanor and personality; each goalie has his own way of performing his best.
Holtby is usually in a quiet zone mentally. He's all business almost all of the time, and that has helped him succeed during his career.
Fleury, on the other hand, is usually smiling, chatting away with referees and even tickling opponents' ears in scrums (something that surprised Blake Wheeler of the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Final) when he's at his best.

One other intangible might be hard to document but could come into play. That's the long break between the conference finals and the Stanley Cup Final, as well as the scheduled two-day break between Games 2 and 3, and also potentially Games 4 and 5, 5 and 6, and 6 and 7.
I see that favoring Fleury, who hasn't played since Vegas eliminated the Winnipeg Jets on May 20 to win the Western Conference Final (the Capitals have been off since defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on May 23). He's been a dynamic goalie in these playoffs, able to make athletic saves in key moments. We've seen Fleury knocked around a little bit in and around his crease and he's been slow to get up a couple of times. The time off should help his rest and recovery and play to his advantage because I don't think that Holtby, with his calmer style, needs any breaks to remain at his best.
It all makes this Stanley Cup Final worthy viewing.