Olaf Kolzig honored at Germain Arena

ESTERO, Flor.   –   Olaf Kolzig, also known as “Olie the Goalie” was honored at Germain Arena on Friday night in recognition of his induction into the ECHL Hall of Fame.   Since he is currently living in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, the trip was not far. The actual ceremony was held during the ECHL All-Star game in mid-January. Kolzig said of missing that event, “I was not able to attend the event in Ontario, California.   We had a family vacation planned during that time and I was not going to disappoint them”. ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna was on hand to present Kolzig with his trophy.   Everblades president Craig Brush was also present at the event.   On behalf of his organization, Brush presented a check for twenty-five hundred dollars to the Autism Society of Southwest Florida. Kolzig has close ties with autism since his young son, Carson, is affected by this condition.   Fellow professional hockey players, Byron Dafoe and Scott Mellanby, started “Athletes Against Autism” with Kolzig.   Their purpose is to raise awareness and increase Autism research.   Back when Kolzig was playing for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, he had a fist fight with Portland Winter Hawks goalie, Byron Dafoe.   The friendly rivalry turned into friendship.   Kolzig and Dafoe were one-another’s best man at each others weddings.   They also bound together to fight Autism.   Kolzig hopes that being a professional athlete will help with the awareness.   “People tend to listen to celebrities.   However, the impact would probably be greater if I was an NFL player,” he said with a laugh. Kolzig, who played professional hockey for almost nineteen years, is nearing his fortieth birthday in a few weeks.   He has truly retired.   “I don’t have any plans of a comeback.   I’m going to buck that trend,” he said with a smile.   “My body and my doctor said it was time.”   Kolzig now suffers from a ruptured biceps tendon in his left arm.Kolzig wore number thirty-seven for the Washington Capitals of the NHL for many years.   He was their 1989 first-round draft pick, number nineteen overall.     “I felt very blessed to be drafted.   I would have been happy to play just one game in the NHL, let alone nineteen years.   I never took it for granted.   I wanted to make an impact on the young players.” Kolzig played against Everblades Coach, Malcolm Cameron, while in college.   “Malcolm tells everyone he was able to score easily on me and racked up a lot of goals.   I don’t remember things that way though,” Kolzig said reminiscing. Kolzig’s favorite ECHL story is while he was playing for Hampton Roads back in 1990-1991.   He played for John Brophy.   “We didn’t play well that night, but we did win the game.   John was upset because of our play.   He made us all workout on the ice after the game.   Winning and losing is everything in the NHL, but sometimes that’s out of your control.   You just need to work hard all the time. That’s something that stayed with me.” His favorite NHL story revolves around the Detroit Red Wings.   “I actually have a number of favorite games against the Wings.   They were always fun and challenging to play against.   I remember two games where I had well over fifty shots-on-goal thrown at me.   One game, we lost to Detroit 1-0; the other we tied 2-2, back when we actually had tie games.   I also remember the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs.   Washington won game six in overtime against the Buffalo Sabers to get into the finals.   Unfortunately we lost the finals to Detroit.   My only regret in the NHL is that I never won a Stanley Cup.” Kolzig has a lot to be proud of during his illustrious career: 1994 – the Jack Butterfield Trophy (MVP of the AHL playoffs); 1994 the Hap Holmes Memorial Award; 2000 – the coveted Vezina Trophy) NHL’s best goalie: 41-20-11, 2.24 GAA, with 5 shout-outs).   He also played one season in Germany for the Berlin Polar Bears during the NHL lockout. Although he was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Kolzig grew up in parts of Canada.   He was born April 6^th, 1970, making him ready to hit that big 4-0. The Kolzig’s moved to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area when he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning.   He played for one year and then the injury sidelined his career.   “I move to Florida and we have the coldest winter anyone can remember.   I thought it was warm here,” Kolzig again breaks into a big grin. Kolzig says that today’s young player coming up from the ECHL is “faster, stronger and more mobile on the ice.   Hockey today is faster.   Players are better trained, more skilled and are better athletes.”Kolzig asks people to visit the website set-up for his son at www.carsonkolzigfoundation.org   to learn more about Autism.   Autism is a disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, lack of communication skills and possible repetitive behaviors.   Signs begin when a child is very young, usually prior to age three. Towards the end of the interview, Kolzig adds his final thoughts, “I would have liked to play for Germany in the 2010 Winter Olympics.” Olaf Kolzig is a giant in the hockey world, gracing the ice for the Washington Capitals for many great years.   He and his family, wife Christen, son Carson, and daughters Kendall and Ashlyn, will soon return to Washington State, their home. Contact the writer at: Sharon.weatherhead@prohockeynews.com Photos by Al Larson