Same Faces in Different Places: Kolzig returns to D.C.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are only a Brian Willsie away from assembling the Washington Capitals of 2005-06.

Going back to last years trade deadline, the Lightning have acquired Jeff Halpern, Matt Pettinger, Jamie Heward, and Steve Eminger; all via trade or free agency.

Of these players, only recently acquired Steve Eminger will be in the line-up when both these Southeast Division foes meet on Monday night. However, there is one other familiar face who will make his way back to D.C., and the media attention surrounding his return will be bigger than the game itself.

Never in their wildest dreams would Washington Capitals fans expect to see their franchise goalie over the past 16 years suit up for the opposition, but in tonight's contest, Olaf Kolzig will do just that.

Drafted 19th overall in the 1989 draft, Kolzig enjoyed a fruitful career as the Capitals tender winning a Vezina award along with a trip to the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals. But the relationship between Washington and Kolzig went sour last season as Washington decided their rebuild was completed and his services were no longer needed. They went out and traded for Cristobal Huet.

Kolzig spent the remainder of the season as the teams back-up goalie, and after their Game 7 playoff loss to Philadelphia, it was widely believed that he would then retire.

When July 1st, 2008 rolled around it was quite a shock for many to see Godzilla trade in his red white and blue for the black and blue of Tampa Bay.

Most Capitals fans said "good riddance" to Kolzig and some went as far as losing respect for his decision to continue his playing career.

Some chose to forget the five 30+ win seasons in a Capitals uniform, others chose to forget the 38 shutouts as a member of the franchise.

And yes, some went as far as forgetting his total dedication to a team going through a rough rebuilding process, as he stuck with the organization as opposed to signing with a playoff bound team in search of his first elusive Stanley Cup Championship.

Not to mention his unwavering devotion to the city of Washington and the many charitable foundations he belongs to.


The truth of the matter is that the Washington Capitals quit on Olaf Kolzig long before Kolzig quit on them. And that is a true test of his character as he always found a way to remain a "team first" player.

In this day and age of the NHL, neither Kolzig nor the Capitals are to blame for the fallout that transpired last season. It was simply a case of two sides having two differing expectations of Olaf's role within the organization, and neither side should be chastised for the decisions they made.

There is a very good chance that Kolzig will never win the Stanley Cup he has longed for his entire career, as his new gig in Tampa puts him into the role of mentor as the Lightning try to hone Mike Smith into a serviceable NHL starter.

Kolzig could have easily rode off into the sunset as a Washington Capital and he would have been enshrined as the greatest goaltender in the teams history. No one else can hold a candle to Kolzig's tenure, and he holds many team records that will most likely never be broken. But instead of hanging them up, he believed that he still had something to give to the NHL, comparable to all that he gave to Capitals fans over 16 seasons of service.

Tonight night isn't about the Tampa Bay Lightning visiting the Verizon Center to take on the Capitals. It's a story of perseverance and the love of the game making it's way back to the nations capital.

Tonight it is Olaf Kolzig versus the Washington Capitals.

Pre-Game Thoughts: 10/21/08 Washington Capitals at Calgary Flames

For 27 year old defenseman Tyler Sloan, Hollywood itself could not have delivered a better script. The rugged Calgary, Alberta native has been a career journeyman through the ECHL and AHL ranks, not yet having a chance to suit up for NHL action, excluding preseason.

Until tonight.

And what better way for Sloan to get his first crack at the bigs than in his home town in front of his family and friends.

"I didn't think it was going to be this soon, but I'm ecstatic," Sloan said of the call-up. "I'm going to Calgary, my hometown, you can't ask for any more than that."

Sloan will indeed have his work cut out for him, joining a depleted defensive corps who is without the veteran leadership of Tom Poti. Poti is sidelined with a groin injury and will not suit up for tonight's game. This will give Sloan an opportunity to see ice-time both at even strength, and most probably on the penalty kill as well.

Sloan will not be the only home town boy in a Capitals uniform tonight fellow defensemen Mike Green and Jeff Schultz also hail from The Stampede City.

Washington will be taking on a Calgary Flames club that hasn't quite lived up to their standards so far this season. A team that prides itself on defense has yet to find a way to put it all together, sputtering out to a 1-3-1 start to their year.

However the off-season acquisitions of Todd Bertuzzi and Mike Cammalleri seem to be paying off as they are both producing at a point per game status.

It will be important for the Capitals to perform as they did against Vancouver, in regards to using their offense as their best form of defense. In that game they held the Canucks to only 10 shots on goal, and coasting to an easy 5-1 win. Given the injures to not only Poti, but Viktor Kozlov and Donald Brashear, Washington will have to use their strong fore check and team play to cover for their lack of man power.

So far this season, Jose Theodore has paralleled A Tale of Two Cities, a Charles Dickens classic to many a Caps fan. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." That has essentially summed it up for the French Canadian net minder who has shown flashes of brilliance, but also hasn't erased the memories of the last three seasons of the Olaf Kolzig era (1995-2008). His play has been indicative of his confidence, which seems to fluctuate as the game progresses. It will be interesting to see if he can put in his first well rounded performance of the season tonight.

For the Flames, word is that Curtis McElhinney may get the start tonight, but that has yet to be confirmed nor denied, so for the time being we will assume it will be Mikka Kiprusoff in the pipes.

Here's hoping Tyler Sloan writes himself into the record books in a very special way.

Pre-Game Thoughts: 10/11/08 Washington Capitals vs Chicago Blackhawks

The atmosphere leading up to last nights game was tense, as all Caps fans fidgeted, intent on the puck drop to start the season. And in the span of a few hours, it was the equivalent to letting air out of a balloon. A depleted sinking feeling. Doom and gloom.

And for some, it is doom and gloom. This was a team who was expected to come out of the gates fast and strike it's opponents the same way a puma goes for the jugular of the defenseless gazelle. But last night that was not to be.

The Caps gave up three early goals; and, after clawing their way back to a 4-4 tie they blew up in the third, giving up three more goals for a 7-4 finale.

Mike Green and Alexander Semin both had impressive games, putting up 6 points and scoring 3 of the Capitals 4 goals.

Tonight, they take on a talented lineup, featuring the likes of fellow Winnipeger Jonathan Toews, last years Calder Cup winner Patrick Kane and newly acquired Brian Campbell on the blue line. The Blackhawks bolster a much deeper squad than the Thrashers do, so it will be important not to slip tonight.

There are 4.5 million reasons why Jose Theodore has to be more consistent in net. After a decent preseason, Theodore blew up last night allowing four goals over the span of two periods; a few of them being Olaf Kolzig specials (check dictionary under "softies") and was pulled for back-up Brent Johnson who didn't end up fairing much better.

Chicago will ice a dangerous powerplay unit, so it will be important for Washington to limit their trips to the box.

Defense will also have to buckle down as tonight they face a very agile, aggressive and speedy club. This won't bode well for the JURSKINE duo (a combination of Jurcina and Erskine), who are two of the slower defenders in the bunch. To some it may seem like I pick on them but food for thought:

In two AHL games, Karl Alzner has 3 assists and is a +2 rating. I know it is still early in the year but I'm sticking by my convictions that he should be up here and a shake up will be needed to do so.

But to the doom and gloomers, here's even more food for thought:

I unfortunately do not have the stats handy, but I can assuredly say that under the Bruce Boudreau reign (dating back to last November for people just joining the party) the Capitals have rarely lost in back to back contests.

Bruce will have these guys ready to go. In Bruce we trust.