Being a Capitals fan is a lesson in futility, at least so far. I grew up in DC and I love my Caps. I've seen good and bad. But since 1998, when the Caps advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, there has been one constant for us Cap fans to enjoy...and that is the play of Olie Kolzig. Without him, we wouldn't have won the Eastern Conference in '98. We wouldn't have 10 wins this year...A rebuilding year, might I add...if Godzilla wasn't between the pipes.
The Caps traded all of their top players as the 2002-04 season wound down, but hey kept Olie. Most experts gave the Caps crap for that, but I think they were smart. They traded Jaromir Jagr, Robert Lang, Sergei Gonchar, Mike Grier and Peter Bondra for great young talent. That young talent had the chance to get to know each other and play together during the lockout while playing together in the minor leagues. It's a long term plan, but one that so far might pay dividends sooner than expected. What might make the growth of the Caps happen more rapidly is the play of Olie The Goalie.
The Caps Drafted Kolzig in 1989. He was an 18 year old phenom, blessed with a big physic and cat-like moves. He took up the whole net with his big frame and made acrobatic saves. He was destined for Super-stardom! Kolzig had a temper, however, and some thought he was too young when he first entered the league. On top of that, he was said to have quite the temper, which kept him from focusing during games. Kolzig would be hard on himself after any goal, which led to giving up soft goals. He spent portions of 9 years in the minors without sticking in the NHL.
The Caps began looking else where for goaltender help. Kolzig was bumped down the depth chart until he was loaned to Rochester Americans of the AHL. To be loaned to another team's minor league team pretty much spells your doom with your parent organization. The Caps were basically giving up on Kolzig; they didn't have room for him on any of there affliates rosters. Not a good way to stick with the organization. How are you supposed to respond to that? Kolzig went on to lead the Americans to the Championship. Won MVP honors. The Caps retained his rights.
For a few years, young goalie Jim Carey flashed grit and poise in the Caps net through 2 regular seasons. But in the playoffs, Carey wilted badly two years in a row, allowing another goalie, a bit older and more seasoned, to flash his potential. That would be Olaf Kolzig. Kolzig was solid in net two years in a row in against the Penguins in the playoffs. After trading Carey to the Bruins in 1997 that brought Bill Ranford to the team. Ranford won a Stanley Cup with Edmonton. He was in his early 30's and gave them a veteran goaltender to start the 97-98 season. Ranford took over the starters position; Kolzig was still #2.
Well, Ranford got hurt early in the 1997-98 season, and Olie Kolzig hasn't given up the position of #1 goalie since. He backstopped the Caps to the Stanley Cup in that glorious '98 season, where for three playoffs series, everything went our way. And Godzilla was a rock. He won the Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender) in 2000. Kolzig turned that temper into a strong voice on the ice, helping and instructing his teammates, barking orders and encouragement. Instead of letting his emotions get the best of him, Kolzig used it to focus his game and be a vocal leader on the ice--something a lot of goalies don't do.
Although Olie has a losing record this season, he has a good goals against average and save percentage. The Caps haven't played very well at times this year, but not because of Olie the Goalie. He's tutoring a young team that needs him to be great every night--many night he is-- and he gives them the best chance to win.
The Caps were quiet about whether or not they would trade Olie this year if they could get quality in return. Kolzig's a free agent after this year, and is in high demand with playoff contending teams like Vancouver--with goalie Dan Cloutier hurt. Kolzig has always said that he wants to stay here. He wants to be one of those rare athletes that wants to stay with one team, for his entire career. He must have noticed Cal up in Charm City, sticking it out, thru good and bad, because this was home. Both guys wanted to be here. They both were good enough to warrant it
, and the fans wanted them to stay, too. From the owner to the soda guy; form the skybox to the to the top row, we hoped they would stay. It seems the Caps hoped the team would show some signs of maturing this season, gaining confidence with their big goalie keeping them competitive almost every night. GM George McPhee recently said there was no chance Kolzig would leave. Case closed.
In a perfect world, Alexander Ovechkin leads this team in scoring, the young talent on the team and in the minors keeps maturing and learning the game, and with maybe a key trade or two, the Caps might discover future glory and post season success. One thing to be sure of is that #37 will probably be in net, manning the pipes, barking and yelling at his teammates. He's risen to the occasion before. Great goalies have played into their early 40's. Olie's 36. Nothing puts you in a better position to win than great goaltending. With 237 career wins, its conceivable Kolzig will win over 300 games. What better time to get those wins with an exciting young team to lead.
I met Olie once. I bought him a beer the day he threw out the first pitch at an Oriole Game after winning the Vezina. My girlfriend and I were seated a few rows back, and I sent a Coors Light down to him. I ran into him on the concourse (yeah, I kinda followed him) and he was a cool dude. He shook my hand and talked for a minute. Took the time to say hi and not be a jerk. It was pretty refreshing, a lot of athletes don't do that. Of course, Kolzig has done a lot that other athletes haven't done.
The Caps were quiet about whether or not they would trade Olie this year if they could get quality in return. Kolzig's a free agent after this year, and is in high demand with playoff contending teams like Vancouver--with goalie Dan Cloutier hurt. Kolzig has always said that he wants to stay here. He wants to be one of those rare athletes that wants to stay with one team, for his entire career. He must have noticed Cal up in Charm City, sticking it out, thru good and bad, because this was home. Both guys wanted to be here. They both were good enough to warrant it
, and the fans wanted them to stay, too. From the owner to the soda guy; form the skybox to the to the top row, we hoped they would stay. It seems the Caps hoped the team would show some signs of maturing this season, gaining confidence with their big goalie keeping them competitive almost every night. GM George McPhee recently said there was no chance Kolzig would leave. Case closed.In a perfect world, Alexander Ovechkin leads this team in scoring, the young talent on the team and in the minors keeps maturing and learning the game, and with maybe a key trade or two, the Caps might discover future glory and post season success. One thing to be sure of is that #37 will probably be in net, manning the pipes, barking and yelling at his teammates. He's risen to the occasion before. Great goalies have played into their early 40's. Olie's 36. Nothing puts you in a better position to win than great goaltending. With 237 career wins, its conceivable Kolzig will win over 300 games. What better time to get those wins with an exciting young team to lead.
I met Olie once. I bought him a beer the day he threw out the first pitch at an Oriole Game after winning the Vezina. My girlfriend and I were seated a few rows back, and I sent a Coors Light down to him. I ran into him on the concourse (yeah, I kinda followed him) and he was a cool dude. He shook my hand and talked for a minute. Took the time to say hi and not be a jerk. It was pretty refreshing, a lot of athletes don't do that. Of course, Kolzig has done a lot that other athletes haven't done.
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Science Fact of the Week
It was announced on Friday that two new moons and new rings were discovered around Uranus using the Hubble telescope. The findings suggest a much more active and unstable system around your anus... I mean Uranus. I'm not making this up. Go to www.space.com and check for yourself. Interesting story. If you want a better understanding of how the universe works and what this new info means, check out Ryan's blog: http://ryanosblahg.blogspot.com
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My brother and I had a fairly heated argument on the phone the other day
about who was the best running back in NFL history. Did I say heated? OK, if we had been in the same room, we would have beat the shit out of each other. We couldn't agree on who was #1. We agreed on four of the top five, but we kept hitting a snag on who should be crowned the greatest Running back of all-time. He says Emmitt Smith, I say Walter Payton. I say, you have to take into account how good the teams were around these players. We can get into a whole bunch of what-if scenarios, but let's not. Here's what I think:
Top five runningbacks in my opinion
5. Gale Sayers: Probably would have been the greatest ever, but injuries cut his career well short of the greatness he could have produced. The team around him was ok, not great. He made things happen on his own. Returned kicks, punts and had the sweetest moves of all-time.
4. Jim Brown: The first runningback beast in the league. It was a different era in Brown's day, but he was the Man! Big, fast and mean as hell, he probably could have put the total rushing yard mark out of everyone's reach if he hadn't retired so soon.
3. Barry Sanders: The guy had no defense in his career with the Lions. His offense was shoddy at best, with a few over-achieving teams sprinkled in. Was tackled for a loss more times than anyone in NFL history, which makes the fact that he is third on the all-time rushing list even more spectacular! Imagine how many rings Barry would have had if he had a defense and a few receivers. And he retired before he was 33.
2. Emmitt Smith: This is hard for me to write. It really is. But, you have to settle for the facts. The fact is, Emmitt played for 16 years. The fact is Emmitt Smith is going to the Hall of Fame. And the fact is I said no "what if" scenarios. So Emmit is #2. He was durable, played hurt and was a leader on a 3 time Super Bowl winner. He led the league in rushing multiple times, scored however many touchdowns, which puts him something on the all-time list, and is the all-time leading rusher in NFL history.
Top five runningbacks in my opinion
5. Gale Sayers: Probably would have been the greatest ever, but injuries cut his career well short of the greatness he could have produced. The team around him was ok, not great. He made things happen on his own. Returned kicks, punts and had the sweetest moves of all-time.
4. Jim Brown: The first runningback beast in the league. It was a different era in Brown's day, but he was the Man! Big, fast and mean as hell, he probably could have put the total rushing yard mark out of everyone's reach if he hadn't retired so soon.
3. Barry Sanders: The guy had no defense in his career with the Lions. His offense was shoddy at best, with a few over-achieving teams sprinkled in. Was tackled for a loss more times than anyone in NFL history, which makes the fact that he is third on the all-time rushing list even more spectacular! Imagine how many rings Barry would have had if he had a defense and a few receivers. And he retired before he was 33.
2. Emmitt Smith: This is hard for me to write. It really is. But, you have to settle for the facts. The fact is, Emmitt played for 16 years. The fact is Emmitt Smith is going to the Hall of Fame. And the fact is I said no "what if" scenarios. So Emmit is #2. He was durable, played hurt and was a leader on a 3 time Super Bowl winner. He led the league in rushing multiple times, scored however many touchdowns, which puts him something on the all-time list, and is the all-time leading rusher in NFL history.
Smith was a giant piece to the puzzle on a team that basically dominated the early 90's, but without his teammates, he wouldn't have done what he did. I know Cowboy fans will argue, but read number one and then decide for yourselves.
1. Walter Payton: Ah...Sweetness. Walter Payton was like a dancer on the field. He could leap over you; he could run over you. Walter could streak by you, or stiff arm you into submission. In his early career, he ran back punts and kicks, and scored. In 1978, Payton rushed for 278 yards in a single game, more than anyone else in history. Payton was a complete football player. Defense lineman hated to block him. He chased down interceptions with abandon and usually made the guy pay for it when he caught him. Walter played each play one way...All out. His teams never came close to the playoffs until Ditka and Buddy Ryan built a complete team in the mid-80's. I saw a Redskins/Bears game in 85 when McMahon threw an interception and Walter was the guy who chased down the defender and made him pay. The most complete football player I have ever seen.
Honorable Mentions:
Marcus Allen: Had a long career, especially for a running back. Was a great receiver out of the backfield. Probably the last Hall of Fame Heisman trophy winner (please let me know if I'm wrong on that.) He won Super Bowl 18 for the Raiders with a then record of 191 yards.
Eric Dickerson: He was amazing his first 5 or 6 years, but like many running backs in NFL history, the wear and tear just broke him down. After he gained over 2000 yards in his
second season, he slowly declined and wasn't the back he started out as.Curtis Martin: A go getter, been on good and bad teams, yet still seems to get his yards and put his team in a position to win. If Curtis comes back from this year's knee injury and can keep grinding out the yards for the Jets over a few more years, he could pass Emmitt Smith as the all-time leading rusher in NFL history. I hope he gets healthy.
The Big O Update
The Caps have won their past two games. Alex had 2 goals and 3 assists in those games. He was just named to the Russian Olympic Hockey team and leads all NHL rookies in goals 20 and points with 39 (Sidney Crosby was left off Team Canada and sits three points behind Ovechkin in rookie scoring). The Big O became the first Caps rookie to score 20 goals since 1980-81, when the "Can't Miss Kid" Bobby Carpenter scored 32 in his rookie campaign. I think Alex might score more than that this year. Ovechkin won another shootout on Thursday with the help of three great saves by Brent Johnson. Sidney who?
Three columns in one week? My gift to you all.
Merry Christmas Everyone!!
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