Report: Kolzig won't return to Capitals
05/09/2008
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WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Olaf Kolzig evidently has ended his
17-year tenure as a member of the Washington Capitals. Kolzig will not return to the Capitals next season, according to
a report published Friday by the Washington Post. A free agent this offseason, Kolzig told the Post that he
realized he had played his last game as a Capital during this
year's playoffs. Washington won 11 of its last 12 games this past regular season
to win the Southeast Division crown and secure the No. 3 seed in
the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Capitals were eliminated
by the Philadelphia Flyers in a seven-game conference
quarterfinal series. Kolzig, 38, did not play in the postseason, as the Capitals
started Critobal Huet in each game against the Flyers. "For me, it was disappointing the way it ended," Kolzig told the
newspaper. "It's unfortunate, because they have a good team
here now. Not to be a part of that is going to be tough,
especially after 17 years and three years of what we went
through post-lockout." Washington's all-time franchise leader in virtually every
goaltending statistic, Kolzig told the Post that he was
disappointed when coach Bruce Boudreau continued to start Huet
even though the Capitals faced a three-games-to-one deficit
against the Flyers. Washington ultimately won Games Five and Six before losing the
series finale in overtime. "When you're down three games to one in the playoffs, I felt
like it was an opportunity for me to get in there with the
experience I have," Kolzig said. "Our backs were against the
wall, but it didn't happen. I said to myself, 'My time here in
Washington has passed. They've chosen to go in a different
direction, and this was the exclamation point on it.'" Kolzig helped lead the Capitals to the franchise's only Stanley
Cup Finals appearance in 1998 and won the Vezina Trophy in 2000.
A native of South Africa, he owns a career record of 301-293-23
with 63 ties and has appeared in 711 games, all with Washington. Cleary a player in decline over the past several campaigns,
Kolzig struggled again this season, going 25-21-6 with a 2.91
goals-against average and an .892 save percentage. Kolzig's shortcomings prompted the Capitals to turn to Huet, a
trade-deadline acquisition who won 11 of his 13 regular-season
starts with Washington. Also a pending free agent, Huet told the Post earlier this week
that he wants to return to the Capitals. That will not be the case with Kolzig, who told the newspaper
that he will decide between signing with another team or
retiring. "I haven't completely made up my mind," Kolzig said. "For me,
it's all about my family. The situation has to be good for my
family. "I still feel that I can be a dominant goalie in this league.
If the offer is not out there ... I'll just sit by the pool with
a six-pack."
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