The Capitals had a strong No. 1 in Olaf Kolzig, as well as a mentor for the young up-and-coming group.
This story originally appeared in The Hockey News Nov 1, 2005/vol. 59, issue 7
BY DAVE FAY
There aren’t a whole lot of fans who come to see the Washington Capitals play.
But those that do make the effort come for the same reason – to see if 19-year-old Russian left winger Alex Ovechkin is for real. Almost all leave convinced he is.
“I think he’s awesome,” said New York Ranger Kevin Weekes, after the No. 1 overall pick in 2004 broke a 2-2 tie and slammed a game-winning rebound behind the goalie Oct. 10.
“(In Washington), he can fly under the radar and I think it will probably serve him better.”
GOALIE ZONE
Olie Kolzig’s early numbers are scraping the bottom.
But ask and he’ll tell you with a very young team in front of him, every day is school and Kolzig is the teacher. The key lesson so far has been to convince team-mates to let him see the puck before it zips past him. They are finally listening and Kolzig’s stats are improving.
Kolzig likes the new rules, except that he said goalies are being run over more frequently by opposing forwards, often the puck-carrier. “We had trouble moving bodies out of the crease in the past; now it’s all but impossible,” he said.
As for the shootout, the former Vezina Trophy winner loves it – so far. “We’ve only had one and we won, so of course I love it,” Kolzig said.
SPOTLIGHT
Olaf Kolzig
Rec. 234-220-63
GAA 2.56
GP/SO 16.5
Playoffs 20-24
No. 1 Goalie ■