NEWS: Holt hoping for second silverware
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Braehead Clan netminder Chris Holt was delighted to win the Gardiner Conference last weekend – now he has his sights on the play-offs.
The 30-year-old, who will retire at the end of the season, is aiming to end his career on a high, but is concentrating on getting past Fife Flyers in the quarter final double header, starting on Saturday.
And Holt, speaking in this week’s edition of The Clansman, believes this is the time of year when players step up as they aim to grab that last trophy that’s up for grabs.
He said: “You want to win whatever there is to win. People can say winning the Conference isn’t a big deal. For me, it was something to win and we won it.
“I’ve seen the comments about it being an easier Conference, but I was out there. It was far from easy and was great to win it.
“Our work isn’t done yet and there’s another trophy to play for. We didn’t win the Challenge Cup or the league, but there are four things to win and we’ve won one of them.
“In hockey, we play for the play-offs and this is where we try and make our mark and propel ourselves to the next level. It’s always an exciting time.”
Holt says he’s enjoyed the experience of the rivalry between the two clubs, which has become one of the biggest in Scottish sport in recent years.
And he reckoned no matter who Clan were paired with, it was always going to provide a stern test for the men in purple.
He added: “I’ve enjoyed these games and the majority have been very close. They’ve been very organised since November and I think David Brown is a great goalie.
“It’s going to be a good test. Whether we got Fife or anyone else, it was always going to be a tough one and the fact it is the Flyers gives it extra layers for all the fans.”
He also touched on his impending retirement, that sees him bow out at the young age of 30, but a career that took him to the KHL, the top league in Russia.
Now he says it’s time for family as he gets ready to contemplate life off the ice for the first time in over 12 years.
Holt said: “I’m 30 years old, but I might be the oldest 30 year old on the planet. My hockey life has taken me all over the place, but has been long and difficult.
“Now it’s time to go home and be a husband and father. I’m grateful to have played with Braehead and to sign off with the play-offs would be the hell of a way to go.”
Read the full interview with Chris in Sunday’s final edition of The Clansman for the 2015/16 season.
