ARLINGTON, V.A. — It takes a lot to faze Charlie Lindgren.
Like, a lot .
Even now, as he enters his first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff series — against his brother's New York Rangers — on the biggest stage after leading the Washington Capitals into the dance, he remains as cool and collected as ever.
Still, he can't deny that he hasn't been working his entire life for this moment.
"I've dreamed about this for 20 years, legitimately," Lindgren said. "Just to have the chance to play a lot of games and just the faith that this team has put in me, I appreciate it greatly. I've had an absolute blast this whole season."
That composure he has, though, is admirable, something that's taken his teammates aback going into Game 1 at the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
"He's a guy that has an ability to stay grounded," Tom Wilson said with a smile.
Wilson recalls a moment months ago where Lindgren, as he did many times in his 50-game run in the regular season, stole a game for two big points for the Capitals. After the game, Wilson tried to hype him up, and the mustached netminder gave him a look and, with a grin, delivered a gentle reminder, "Stay humble."
"That's kind of been his thing: he has the ability to stand on his head, but he never says, 'Woe is me,' he never toots his own horn. He just keeps doing his thing, and he loves being in the net and competing."
For Lindgren, a big part of it comes from his preparation.
"A lot of it just comes down to experiencing confidence, honestly. I have a lot of faith and confidence in myself, I have a lot of faith and confidence in my teammates, and I think when you're prepared, that lessens the stress, that lessens the emotion because I think your preparation takes over."
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That preparation includes quite the regimen for the netminder, one that he's spent the last few years perfecting as he graduated to the NHL level to become a surprise starter.
It all started with a bare-handed save last season in Boston, which sparked something in the 30-year-old netminder. After stunning with that highlight-reel stop and taking that risk, he wanted to be that guy , the goalie who would do just about anything to keep the puck out of the net.
And he wanted to do that every night.
So, after recovering from a concussion from a David Pastrnak shot that same night and heading to Italy after the conclusion of the season to hit reset, he got to work, fine-tuning his all-around game.
He and hometown friend and fellow NHL netminder Jake Oettinger both worked together over the offseason, heading to chiropractor Dr. Anthony Benda in Minnesota. Then, Oettinger recommended a mobility coach to Lindgren, and Grace Witthuhn played a big part in helping him improve his flexibility and reaction time.
Ultimately, learning more about the human body, along with all the extra hard work, paid off. After that, all he needed was faith from Spencer Carbery to take that next step forward.
He didn't look back. After starting as Darcy Kuemper's backup, his play spoke for itself, and he was able to steal the starting role by the NHL All-Star Break.
"A lot of (the success has) been opportunity. I've had the chance to play a lot, and then I think, I'm a little bit older. That helped, experience," Lindgren said, adding, "Right from the get-go, I just wanted to go out and just perform as best as I can and just focus on the day-to-day."
His play is also a testament to the way he's taken care of himself, and he stressed that the physical aspect of the game is just as big as the mental side.
Lindgren prioritizes hydration and healthy eating habits above all else, and though he's always been that way, it helped with the bigger workload this season.
"You'd be amazed at how much liquids I drink; it's pretty incredible," Lindgren said.
His daily intake consists of about 16 to 17 bottles of BioSteel on each game day, including three bottles for each intermission, along with three salts per intermission. He also eats one Barebells candy bar per intermission to get protein in his body.
The regimen also helps him maintain a consistent weight, something that can fluctuate rapidly for a goaltender, given the heaviness of the gear and the amount of sweat.
Related: Charlie Lindgren & His Brother, Ryan, Setting Boundaries Ahead Of Capitals-Rangers Playoff Series: 'Talk To You After Round 1'
While more playing time was everything he'd hoped for, there then came the question of consistency and being able to sustain that heavy workload in his second NHL season, especially down the stretch with D.C. needing to claw back up the standings for a shot at the postseason.
It was another learning experience for the Lakeville, Minnesota native, who found himself living in a bit of a distorted reality as he found himself playing every other night and experiencing a bit of "tunnel vision."
"I think I handled it really well, just managing my workload," Lindgren noted.
Not only did Lindgren have to change his approach to practices, also allowing himself to take the option when he had the chance, but he also worked on maintaining his composure.
His teammates will attest to this fact: no one hates letting in a goal more than Lindgren. But, if the unfortunate does happen, he's learned to move on relatively quickly, and that resilience has led to more stability in the crease.
"Any adversity that he faces, it's just like, 'No big deal, I'm going to figure out a way to get through it,'" head coach Spencer Carbery said. "Those are some quality, quality characteristics of a professional hockey player that can really help you. I think that's been impressive to watch and seeing how all his teammates have rallied around him."
Another key to that levelheadedness has been deep breathing, a practice that the netminder took up a few years back.
"Moreso (to) calm the nervous system down and just relax... even during games like when maybe we've been pinned in our own zone for the last four or five minutes after we get a whistle, I'll try to do some breathing, just kind of relax and settle down," Lindgren said. "When it can feel like the stress and the anxiety of life or the game is starting to build up, I think breathing is a good way to just kind of reset a little bit and relax."
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Ultimately, down the stretch (dating back to Jan. 16), no goaltender faced more shots (927) or made more saves (836) than No. 79. He finished the year with a .911 save percentage in 50 games, and ranks eighth in goals saved above expected among goaltenders with at least 49 GP.
"Without even knowing it, he's become a leader in this group," Nic Dowd, who also played with Lindgren when the two were still "just kids" at St. Cloud State, said. "At any point, when you have goaltending that is playing really, really well, like he has for the majority of the season, your team feels very confident to go out there and play calm and loose."
That "stay humble" mentality that Wilson took note of earlier in the season is something that's spread through the room, and it couldn't come at a better time as the Capitals enter Round One as the underdogs against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers.
"(His mentality) is contagious throughout the group; he just knows when he's at his best and where he's supposed to be in the net competing," Wilson said. "It's been quite a ride for him, and I know he's going to be giving it his all for sure."
Game 1 is on Sunday at 3 p.m., and though Lindgren's composure and "chill" vibes are still alive and well, he's just ready to get the series going.
"Just more excited, just ready for the start at this point," Lindgren said. "Just ready for the puck to drop now."
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