Photo credit: DaveArt.com

Though recently we’ve seen him in a baseball cap more often than not, Michal Neuvirth‘s got a new mask. As with all Neuvy’s lids, the latest one was done by masterful Swedish airbrush artist Dave Gunnarsson, who posted pictures on his Facebook page. This is sad news for us at RMNB as Neuvy’s current Olie Kolzig Memorial Mask is a favorite of ours. The old mask lionizes former Capitals great Olie Kolzig on one side along and Czech netminder Jiří Holeček on the other. Neuvy has yet to wear his new mask, so the old one is still around for now.

The new mask features a large image of Washington’s Weagle logo on the front, but with the head chopped off and replaced with a more realistic rendering. The right side, as always, sports an image of Strekov Castle from Neuvirth’s hometown in the Czech Republic.

“Just as usual the design is pumped with details and hidden messages,” Gunnarsson, who designs masks for many NHL goaltenders, including Braden Holtby, wrote on Facebook. “It is so exciting to create a design in old school style mixed with top modern fx.”

Photo credit: Inova Blood Donor Services Facebook page

On March 23rd, Inova Blood Donor Services is holding another blood drive at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. If you’ve never considered donating blood before, this might be the perfect time to do it. Why? Because the giveaway is awesome. Anyone who donates blood will receive an Olie Kolzig bobblehead. And I’m talking a realistic Kolzig bobblehead, not this weird, green-faced alien one I got 15 years ago which scares little children.

So let’s recap. Sign up today, save a life, and get some awesome Caps memorabilia for free in the process. Good deal.

Photo credit: Chris Gordon

Olie Kolzig is remembered as the greatest goalie in Capitals history. A staple in Washington’s net for over a decade, Kolzig led the team to their only Stanley Cup Finals appearance and became one of the franchise’s most beloved players. These days Kolzig has a different role. In his second year as associate goaltending coach, Kolzig spends his time mentoring the club’s young netminders in both minor leagues. The influence of a veteran has apparently rubbed off on the players– Caps goalie Michal Neuvirth recently added the German goalie’s likeness to his mask, a gesture Kolzig deeply appreciated.

On Sunday, I spoke on the phone with Olie The Goalie, who was in Hershey scouting the Bears game. As the NHL season approached, Kolzig gave me his thoughts on the Caps goalie duo, the distractions Braden Holtby faced last season, and what he sees next for Alex Ovechkin. He even told me what he thought of Tom Poti‘s return to hockey and what that could mean for the organization.

What are your thoughts on Philipp Grubauer’s first AHL win last Saturday?

He really played fantastic. He played the way he’s played the last two years. He looks like he’s been there, done that. He’s very calm in the net. He made three or four huge saves (Saturday), was great in the shootout, and after the game you couldn’t tell it was first AHL win. He’s only lost one game in regulation since the end of November. This guy knows how to win.

Sergey Kostenko was really impressive in development camp. What have you thought of him in Reading so far?

He’s probably the lowest guy on the depth chart. I think Brandon Anderson is ahead of him. Sergey just stepped back into game action a few weeks ago so he’s a little behind — his conditioning needs to improve a little bit — but based on development camp if he puts an attention to detail in his game, improves his work ethic, he would definitely pad the depth chart.

Do the Capitals almost have too many talented goaltenders in the system right now?

A couple years ago, yeah, we had too many guys in the net with Varlamov, but I think we’re staggered pretty nicely with Michal and Holtby up in Washington, Grubi has his first real chance to play at the American Hockey League level. You’ve got Kostenko and Anderson in their first year’s in the ECHL. We’re staggered nicely. In a couple years it could be different scenario, but it’s not a bad situation to have when you’re that deep at that position with injuries and trade value if that ever happens to be the case. It’s better to be rich than poor.

Obviously, I benefited from the years that we weren’t as deep in net, allowing me to play as many years as I did in Washington. Now that I’m on the coaching side, it’s definitely nice to have that depth.

Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth are two talented goaltenders that have proven worthy of being starters in the NHL. Do you think with the shortened and compressed season, it really gives the Capitals an advantage? Also, do you think they’ll mostly split games this year?

I don’t have any insight into that. I know that Adam has mentioned that Holtby would be the number-one guy going into the season. I’m a big Michal Neuvirth fan. I really think he’s a talented kid, and I think it’s fantastic that we have two guys with that ability especially in such a condensed season where there’s such a premium on winning every night. Not only is it physically draining, it’s mentally draining as well. You have two guys that can share the load — not only body but a fresh mind. I think we’re a lot further ahead than a lot of people believe.

How much has Braden Holtby grown since you started working with him? I talked to Mark French a few weeks ago and he said that this is the best he’s ever seen him play in his career. I’ve also talked to Holtby, and he’s said that the key for him is how calm he’s become in the net. What have you seen that’s helped him get to the next level?

I think it’s maturity. The beginning of last year he was dealing with a lot of issues that not a lot of people know about. That played a lot on his mind. When he was in net, maybe he wasn’t totally thinking about the game. Once all that got resolved, his game really started to become consistent. I think the stretch he had in the spring with the Caps obviously solidified his confidence in his ability to play in the NHL. And obviously the birth of his son. It matures you as a person real quickly. So I think a lot of things came together in his life in the spring. Now he’s really enjoying what he’s doing.

When the lockout happened, he could have come down here with a bad attitude — not a bad attitude — but an ‘I don’t care’ attitude, ‘I shouldn’t be down here,’ but he came down with a great attitude. He’s worked hard. He’s been one of the best goalies in the American League this year. He’s given them an opportunity to win every night. And that’s a great sign of maturity on Braden’s part.

Ovi seems to have a pep in his step at training camp. He’s the first guy over when Oates does instruction on the board. He looks like he’s flying out there. A few of the guys remarked about that in the locker room. I know you’re up in Hershey scouting, but what do you think Adam Oates is going to do for someone like Ovechkin?

I think first of all, Ovi and the skill guys are really going to thrive under Adam. Obviously, when you had the credentials that Adam has — he was such a great two-way player — he can really relate to the skill guys. He was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame. He has such a great attention to detail. You would be very stupid not to listen to what he has to say or not be very enthusiastic to play for him. He’s gonna get those offensive guys going so that they can show off their ability. He’ll demand responsibility in your own end as well. That’s what’s great about Adam: not only was he a great playmaker and skill guy in the offensive zone, the responsibility he has in his own end was second to none. Penalty-killing, he was one of the first guys called upon. The power play he was one of the first forwards called upon. I think guys like Ribeiro, Nicky Backstrom, Marcus Johansson, Mike Green, I think all of those guys are going to benefit with Adam being coach.

Last year when Ovi played for Dale Hunter, the Capitals played a much different brand of hockey. They really played tight defensively. Do you think it benefited Ovechkin to see how important the other side of the game is and that you can win that way?

No question. When Dale came in, the team really struggled on both ends of the ice. They couldn’t keep the puck out of the net. They couldn’t score goals. Dale’s philosophy as coach was the only thing we can control is how we play in our own end, so we’re going to tighten things up and win games 1-0 and 2-1. That’s the philosophy that he went with. People could argue that it hurt us ultimately in the end, but I’m a big believer that if we wouldn’t have played that way we wouldn’t have made the playoffs. I think a guy like Ovi seeing the defensive side and being called upon to be responsible in how own end, I think it was a great lesson for him to build on. Now he’ll play under Adam, he’ll have that defensive responsibility, and then he’ll be allowed to show off his talent in the offensive zone. Ovi’s going to be a very happy hockey player.

Since you’re at the Hershey game, how is Tom Poti doing in his first game in two years?

He looks good. It’s amazing. He looks like he hasn’t missed a beat at all. He looks good out there. It’s actually pretty incredible. If he can somehow come back and play for Washington, that’s going to be such a huge bonus for us. It would give us so much depth.

Depth is going to be so important this year especially with 50 games in 100 nights.

For sure. You never know who’s going to go down with injury.

Do you have any advice for guys trying to prepare themselves for this lockout shortened-season? Is it a real grind?

In ’94-’95 I went through it and — you know what– everybody was just so excited to play again, it didn’t really bother anybody. We were just so happy to play hockey, it kind of outweighed the grind of the schedule. I think the guys are going to be excited to be playing in front of the fans. It’s going to be good to be playing again.

Additional reporting by Chris Gordon.

Photo credit: Chris Gordon

Over the summer, Swedish airbrush artist Dave Gunnarsson released photos of the new goalie mask he painted for Michal Neuvirth. It was a thing of beauty and something all Capitals fans could appreciate.

One side of the mask features images of Neuvirth’s hometown along with a portrait image of Czech goaltending great Jiří Holeček. On the other side there’s an action shot of Olie Kolzig, the franchise’s leader in wins, juxtaposed with the old Capitals dome logo and stars.

The gesture was not lost on Kolzig, now an associate goaltending coach for the Capitals and technically one of Neuvirth’s coaches.

Neuvirth shows off the mask to Mike Vogel.

During a trip to Reading, Pennsylvania in December, Philipp Grubauer — the Royals starting goaltender at the time — showed Kolzig photos of Neuvirth’s new bucket. “When I first saw the mask I thought it was pretty cool,” Kolzig told me over the phone on Sunday. “But then I realized ‘Wow, I’m getting old!’ You’ve got younger players putting former players on their masks. It’s a sign you’re really getting up there in age.”

Kolzig, who will celebrate his 43rd birthday in April, is five years removed from a career in which he won the Vezina Trophy, played in two all-star games, and broke almost all of Washington’s goalie records. “I wanted a goaltending legend from the Caps,” Neuvirth said. “So I had to pick Olie.”

“I think it was a classy thing that Michal did,” Kolzig told me. “Obviously, I was with the organization for so many years. It really was a nice thing for him to do.”

Mask design has grown as an art-form in recent years. In the early days, hall of fame goaltender Jacques Plante wore a simple, solid-grey fiberglass mask. Over time, paint was added into the formula, and the level of detail has since become extraordinary. Maybe too much for Kolzig’s tastes.

“It’s almost gotten to a point where masks have become a little too detailed for television coverage,” Kolzig said. “They’re really tough to pick up unless you see them up close. Back in the day myself, Curtis Joseph, Jocelyn Thibault with that Indian head dress on his mask, Hasek’s– they were great because they had a lot of color and personality, but they weren’t so detailed that you couldn’t see them from the stands.”

Kolzig is excited about the upcoming lockout-shortened season and the Capitals’ goaltending duo. While head coach Adam Oates has hinted at Braden Holtby starting opening night, Kolzig believes Neuvirth will still play a large part of the schedule.

“I’m a big Michal Neuvirth fan,” Kolzig said. “I really think he’s a talented kid and I think it’s fantastic that we have two guys with that ability especially this season where there’s such a premium on winning every night. You have two guys that can share the load — not only with their bodies but with a fresh mind too.”

Still, the question nags: will painting Olie on his mask get Neuvy any extra starts this season? “I hope that’s not why he did it,” Kolzig deadpanned. “If that’s the case, he should have put Dave Prior on there.”

Additional Photos

Photos by Chris Gordon

Photo credit: Kyle Mace of Sweetest Hockey On Earth

In a move both surprising and logical, the Capitals announced Sunday that Adam Oates would serve as co-coach of the AHL’s Hershey Bears with head coach Mark French for the duration of the lockout. Caps assistant coaches Calle Johansson, Tim Hunter, and Blaine Forsythe and goaltending coaches Dave Prior and Olie Kolzig will — in George McPhee’s words — “be involved at different times” and also help out with the Capitals’ ECHL affiliate, Reading Royals.

To adequately take on lockout-loaded teams like Oklahoma City Barons whose roster now features Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, and Justin Schultz, the Capitals have given their farm team the deepest coaching staff in AHL history.

McPhee elaborated even more on the announcement to senior Capitals’ writer Mike Vogel:

“We think it’s a great opportunity for all of our coaches in the organization to work together to learn the nuances of our system of play,” says McPhee. “We also think it’s a great opportunity for our NHL coaches to get to work with our young players and frankly to give them something to do. There’s no sense in them sitting in Washington when they could be active in Hershey.”

The decision has no downside. Oates will have a chance to ply his trade for the first time in the organization, get more familiar with the players, and install his new system from the ground up. He’ll also get to work with potential Capitals starting goaltender Braden Holtby and continue to help develop Russian talents Dmitry Orlov and Stanislav Galiev. In the bigger picture, the added star power should also bring more media attention to the deserving Bears and help them fill seats.

A few months ago, Adam Oates was on top of the world, coaching the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals. A few weeks later, he was named head coach of his own team and inducted into the Hall of Fame on the same day. Now Oates gets to experience the less glamorous side of hockey again: 12-hour bus rides, three-in-threes, and living in and out of hotels. That he’d even consider this position after all his success in hockey speaks volumes of the man’s character and humility.

[Ed. note: This is fifth installment of Capitals During Wartime, a series about Washington's struggles before the 2012 trade deadline. Read previous entries about coaching, negativity, road performance, and centers.]

Everyone has the moment when you realize that the Caps are in serious trouble. You know when mine was, because that’s when I started this Capitals During Wartime series. For Ian, it was Monday night, when he finally admitted to me how worried he was. For the rest of the Internet and the broader hockey community, that moment is right now.

This article documents The Week from Hell, a litany of depressing and infuriating stories about your Washington Capitals. Because we need a single, coherent record of what exactly it was like when things couldn’t possibly get any worse.

The fourth item in a column by thirty dimensional thinker Elliotte Friedman told us that George McPhee has been the most active deal-maker in the run-up to the trade deadline. With this knowledge, we must view all team moves through the prism of an impending trade– and we must view the team itself as we might a long-term relationship on the verge of a nasty break-up.

Tomas Vokoun missed Sunday’s and Monday’s games due to the flu, disrupting the impeccable goaltending that has kept the Capitals just barely afloat. Michal Neuvirth was expected to make both starts, but was replaced on Monday by Hershey’s Braden Holtby. Video of an embarrassing 90-foot goal surrendered by Holtby showed up on Yahoo and the Pensblog.

When asked about why he chose Holtby over Neuvirth, Coach Dale Hunter made two distressing points. First, he said the reason for the call-up was because he didn’t want Neuvirth playing back-to-back games (a feeling he did not share for Holtby, who played even later on Sunday than Neuvirth). Then, on Wednesday, Hunter told WaPo’s Katie Carrera this:

It’s one of those things that if he was standing on his head every night, would Braden be playing? No.

Neuvirth said he was not informed of the replacement until he arrived at Verizon Center Monday night, and he found the whole ordeal “tough to swallow.”

Adding to the rift between Hunter and his players is the ongoing saga with Mike Knuble. Scratched in the last three games (all Caps losses), Knuble made several angst-ridden but polite statements to the press about his situation. The 39-year-old, Stanley-Cup-winning veteran (who has scored more in his 30s than Wayne Gretzky and had not been benched in a decade) called his first scratch “humbling” and the second “frustrating.” By the third game he missed, Knuble was musing on hypothetical trade situations, saying:

You want to go somewhere where you’re going to play and contribute to the team. If you can’t do it one place, then you got to go.

Perhaps aware of the growing disquiet, Knuble declined to comment further about the matter this week, telling the Washington Times’ Stephen Whyno that he has been “a little too dramatic,” and telling CSN’s Chuck Gormley that he has already “said [his] peace.”

Even Coach Hunter offered encouraging words about Knuble, adding, “He looked good. . . He’s chomping at the bit to go, so again we’ll see what happens.” Knuble skated with the third line at Wednesday’s practice and is expected to play in Florida this weekend.

Caps icon and assistant goalie coach Olie Kolzig leapt to the defense of Dale Hunter on Wednesday, offering this tasty quote about Hunter’s methods to hungry reporters from various outlets:

If that’s what it’s going to take to get this team close to winning a Stanley Cup then I think at the end of the day if that happens all those unpopular decisions will all of the sudden look pretty smart.

It was a stirring and contrary position, but one undercut quite a bit for three reasons: 1) the paucity of Kolzig’s appearances at Kettler; b) the ominously qualifying “if” preposition; and iii) Neil Greenberg’s recent recalibration of the Capitals’ chances for a postseason. Greenberg observes that the Capitals face a daunting challenge to make the playoffs, and that “the margin of error is razor thin no matter what the future holds for the roster.”

Kolzig was then apparently asked the age-old question: what’s wrong with Alex Ovechkin? Kolzig, who was once one of D.C.’s most loved players, advised that Ovechkin should “maybe not get wrapped up too much with the rock star status that comes with being Alex Ovechkin.”

That line, of course, got picked up by all kinds of hockey press. It even made Puck Daddy’s headlines with the old “phrase-it-like-a-question” technique.

Ovechkin, for his part, dispelled any accusations of his celebrity overriding his play by… debuting this new commercial for Verizon.

At that point, contributors to national sports networks offered their takes. A.J. Perez of Fox Sports pointed out that fan attendance at Capitals practice has diminished significantly, and Joe Yerdon of NBC’s ProHockeyTalk basked in the schadenfreude like he always does.

The Valentine’s Day edition of Sportsnet’s Marek vs Wyshynski amped up the volume on the Capitals’ suffering even more by making this its question of the day: How would you fix the Washington Capitals? [conversation is around one hour in]. Any kind of in-depth discussion by national media about a single team usually retreats into nebulous characterization or innuendo (which is fine, since those guys have 29 other teams to worry about and besides– it’s sports radio, designed to provoke). Their conclusion was more about Alex Ovechkin’s decline and some perceived conflict between Ovechkin and Hunter than any kind of systemic problems (like defensive reformulation or moving away from a run-and-gun style).

But really, what has gone wrong with Alex Ovechkin beyond the normal ravages of time and changing from a system where offense trumps all to one that either inhibits offense or just cannot generate it? Ovechkin himself talked down his own shortfalls by advancing another pernicious excuse: injury.

It’s not a secret that we miss [Mike Green] and Nicky [Backstrom]. Some people might think it’s good for us to see how good we are without those guys. Everybody knows how good we are, but without those guys this team is not that good.

Even the good folks in the organization got in on the struggle. On Wednesday’s Capitals Report, John Walton said he considers inconsistency to be chief among the team’s troubles. Senior Writer Mike Vogel published to Dump’n'Chase a treatise on the changes the team has tried to effect positive results without success.

But we finish where we began. In a lengthy piece for Monday’s Washington Post, John Feinstein sat down with George McPhee. The crucial argument McPhee makes is that the team was great until they got hurt:

. . . We’ve only had that team on ice for eight games. We’re 8-0 in those games.

Injury is an eventuality in hockey as columnist Tracee Hamilton pointed out (and for once, I agree with her). A team that cannot withstand a single injury might not have been that good to begin with. Regardless, we now know that McPhee will be busy at the deadline, and that means some of our favorites are going to leave D.C.

Maybe that just means saying goodbye to players who might play better with another club. But isn’t that pretty much every player at this point?

Strange — isn’t it — that the spotlight of national attention is brightest on the Capitals while they are so mired in fog. Player-coach disputes and dimming stardom and unfortunate quotations all seem to have popped up at the least opportune time. The Capitals leave town on Thursday for a road trip that may be both determinative for their season and the last for this incarnation of the roster.

I used the word nadir to describe Bruce Boudreau’s final game as coach, but I was wrong. We are steeped in it now. This moment right here is the Capitals during wartime, and everyone is watching. Failure is expected, and it’s expected to be huge.

But there’s a little glimmer of hope. Mike Green skated a full practice on Wednesday, his first since undergoing surgery for a hernia last month. He’ll be travelling with the team this weekend and might even play.

In the midst of all this melodrama and pathos, Mike Green is– as Steven Whyno described him– ”all smiles.”

If you took a break from hockey after May 4th, when the Tampa Bay Lightning swept the Washington Capitals out of the playoffs, we completely understand. It was rough. But the new season is here, along with reasons for renewed hope. So in case you’ve been avoiding hockey in general and this blog in particular, we’ve prepared a primer to catch you up.

Here is everything you need to know about the Washington Capitals but were afraid to ask (2011-2012 edition).

Who won the cup?

Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas was a monster. So was their bar tab.

Where’s Semyon Varlamov?

On July 30th, we thought that Varly was headed to the KHL. But the rumor was dubiously sourced, two teams (SKA and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl) disputed Varlamov’s negotiation rights, and the Caps weren’t talking. On July 1st, the first day of free agency, the Capitals dealt Varly to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for some very nice draft picks. As a condition of that deal, if the Avs don’t to make the playoffs those picks get even better.

Who else is gone?

Most of the team’s free agents:

• Matt Bradley was signed by the Florida Panthers.
• Boyd Gordon was signed by the Phoenix Coyotes.
• Jason Arnott is a member of the St. Louis Blues.
• Marco Sturm is in Vancouver on a gig for the Canucks.
• Scott Hannan will play for the Calgary Flames this year.
• And F16 Eric Fehr is a member of the brand-spanking new Winnipeg Jets. Yeah, more on that in a moment.

And Brooks Laich is back?

Is he ever! Brooks Laich signed a monster 6-year, $27M contract on June 28th. You’ll be getting lost in those eyes through 2018.

Who is this new goalie?

“New” is a relative term. Tomas Vokoun is a 35-year-old Czech goalie most recently out of Florida. Because he wants to play on a team with a chance at victory, Vokoun agreed to take a serious pay cut to play for the Caps. This is very good news, as Vokoun is an elite goaltender with a very real chance at the Vezina Trophy for best goalie this year. As sad as I’m sure you are about losing Semyon Varlamov, be heartened that the team has added someone this talented.

Who’s new on defense?

On July 1st George McPhee signed Roman Hamrlik, a grizzled vet who has spent the last four years with the Montreal Canadiens, to a 2-year, $7M contract. Hamrlik represents the added depth and experience that GMGM was looking for in the defensive zone. You can expect him to pair up with Dennis Wideman.

Who’s new up front?

That would be Joel Ward, who got a 4-year, $12M contract with the team on free agency day. Ward distinguished himself with a superb playoff performance with Nashville, scoring seven goals in 12 games, and he has a reputation as a defensively minded forward and hardy penalty killer. With the Caps’ apparent evaporation of secondary scoring, Ward will be expected to produce this year.

And don’t forget Troy Brouwer, who was picked up on draft day. Brouwer is what GMGM calls a “power forward”, a tough guy who will likely see time on the top two lines. McPhee thinks he might put up 20 goals this season.

And what’s this I hear about Olie Kolzig?

Vezina and King Clancy winner and the winning-est goalie in Capitals history, Olaf “Olie” Kolzig has rejoined the team as associate goaltending coach! Olie intends to be here for a while and has sold his insane mansion in the pacific northwest. If you’ll forgive a momentary brag, we talked to Kolzig back in February and told us then he was enthusiastic about future relations with his old team. Maybe we’ll see number 37 retired soon?

Any other new old faces? Maybe one that’ll actually play?

Hell yeah! Caps veteran Jeff Halpern is back with a one-year contract. Halpy was a Cap from 1999 until 2004 and says he “jumped at the opportunity to come back” to the team that launched his NHL career. Between this and the return of Olie, you can expect to see noticeably more blue/black/bronze jerseys around Chinatown this year.

How about those injuries last year?

Dennis Wideman missed the playoffs after a nasty hit to the leg from Carolina’s Tuomo Ruutu (checked: still not a Star Wars character) at the end of the regular season. We heard it was “just a bruise”, but it turned out to be something gross called “compartment syndrome.” Wideman is looking good in the preseason and should be playing on opening night.

Tom Poti missed most of last year with a nagging groin injury. We usually make jokes about groin injuries here, but Poti’s ailment is seriously endangering his hockey career. Tom failed his physical and will likely be on injured reserve status this year.

Any cool drama I need to know about?

Alright, get this: Matt Bradley gives an interview to a Florida radio station and says that Alex Semin doesn’t care. Then David Steckel kinda-sorta says the same thing. And then everyone else jumps to Semin’s defense. And then the dude himself gives two English-language video interviews, which kinda makes you think someone in the organization was really worried about this meme. Speaking of memes, we made some bar graphs about the whole kerfuffle.

In other news, Alex Ovechkin slouched in an interview with Mike Vogel, leading everyone to think he got fat. A subsequent onslaught of notables (including Ted Leonsis himself) defended Alex’s fitness. This in no way justified and perpetuated a ludicrous story that should have been ignored by all sensible people except us and Dan Steinberg.

Just recently the Caps tried out white netting instead of black netting behind the ice, creating a kind of snowblindness for fans who sit at funny angles. People complained, and the white netting lasted exactly one game. Don’t laugh; we actually have to read and write about this stuff.

And any blatant gimmickry I should be aware of?

For 16 road games this year, the Caps will be wearing their third jersey, which is basically the Winter Classic uni. Most of those games will be in February and March, when the Caps will be on the road a lot.

What utterly trivial things did RMNB write about this year?

Nothing except the earthshaking drama of Alex Ovechkin playing soccer, Alex Ovechkin dressing like a wookiee, Alex Ovechkin wearing sweatpants over his jeans, and Alex Ovechkin being on a candy bar.

Hook me up with some #fancystats.

My favorite piece by Neil this summer was The Sasha Index, which tracks how Alex Semin’s janusian nature affects the team’s performance by inventing a brand new statistical metric. You might also be interested in Jeff Halpern’s projected output, the lofty expectations placed on Alex Ovechkin, and who Nick Backstrom should play with.

What’s up with the Caps on the radio?

Longtime Caps play-by-play man Steve Kolbe did not have his contract with the team renewed over the summer. In his place, John Walton, former PR boss and play-by-play guy for the Hershey Bears, will be doing radio and other stuff. Scott Stuccio takes over for the Bears.

How was your summer, Russian Machine Never Breaks?

Oh not bad; thanks for asking. Neil has been contributing to ESPN Insider in addition to WaPo’s Capitals Insider. Ian has two ferrets. I’ve got a new bulldog named Georgia who sits on my coffee table when I’m not home. Chris got his pubes. Fedor and Igor are still Russian, and Rachel is working on her artist chops.

We’ve got bigger news, but let’s save that for later in the week.

What’s going on in the rest of the NHL?

The Atlanta Thrashers are history. The franchise has become the Winnipeg Jets, restoring the team that left for Phoenix in ’96. Manitoba native and newly minted Jet Eric Fehr is particularly happy about this news. The sucky part is that the ‘Peg is still technically in the NHL’s Southeast division, so there’s gonna be a lot of travelling for SE teams this year. The NHL will realign next season.

Sidney Crosby is still recovering from the concussion he suffered at the beginning of 2011. There is no timetable for his return.

Perhaps Washington’s most reviled ex-player, Jaromir Jagr, has returned to the NHL. He will play for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Speaking of Philly, the Winter Classic of 2012 will pit them against the Rangers.

Sean Avery is still a douchebag, but now with a heart of gold. Matt Cooke is still a thug, but wants to reform. The Sedins are still creepy, and that’ll never change. Martin St. Louis is still lilliputian, and he probably wears lifts in his shoes.

What are the expectations for the Caps this year?

Oh man. Well they struggled a bit in the preseason, but let’s pretend that doesn’t matter.

As of right now, The gambling site Bodog has the Caps tied with the Canucks to win the cup at 7:1. Puck Daddy’s profile on the team predicts they’ll advance to the conference finals at least. As long as no one paints any oil paintings, this thing should be a lock.

Crash the net.

Illustrations and layout by Ian Oland; Capitals photos by Chris Gordon.

Kolzig smiles during his first press conference in D.C. as a coach (Photo credit: Chris Gordon)

Last Thursday, the Capitals’ new associate goaltending coach Olie Kolzig joined Elliot Segal on DC101′s Elliot In The Morning. The former fan-favorite goalie spoke favorably about his new gig and dished out plenty of interesting information in the interview, including Phillipp Grubauer’s potential landing spot next season, Braden Holtby’s tough situation, his thoughts on free-agent signee Tomas Vokoun, and much, much more. Check it out below the jump!

Elliot – Welcome back! It’s good to have you back in town!

Olie Kolzig - It’s great to be back, bud.

Elliot – In terms of the whole thing coming together, what happened with Arturs Irbe? I spent some time with him last year, he seemed like a really nice guy, and then came that story that he just kind of wanted to get away from things and spend time with his family. Is that true or is that just a nice story?

Olie Kolzig - No, that’s about the gist of it. I know Archie just a little bit from playing. I obviously have a lot of respect for him. He’s a really good guy. The situation was that his son was over here with him. Apparently, it was getting to be a little bit too tough — with the son being away from his mother. So he wanted to get closer. You know, back to Latvia. For some people it works. For some people, the family issues are a pretty big deal.

Elliot – So Dave Prior gets the job. As he was putting his staff together, when did you get involved with the whole process?

Olie Kolzig - It was shortly after. Dave came up with the idea of maybe having two people on staff. He’d overlook the Caps, and the scouting part of things. He’d deal with the junior kids that the team has. He just thought it’d be a great way to introduce me back to the league and see if it would be something that I’d like to do. I was approached a couple years ago about possibly being a goalie coach here. At the time, I didn’t feel I was ready. I had just retired. I wanted to spend a little time with the family. So at that point, I just wasn’t willing to commit myself to doing it. So I had two years off. I started to get the itch again. Obviously, I have a great relationship with Dave. We kept in touch. He introduced the scenario and offered me the position. Or felt i’td be a great idea to pitch to the organization. So, George called me and offered the position. And I was ready to take it. Just being here the last four or five days, I’m really starting to enjoy the teaching and coaching part of it.

Elliot – Hey Olie, you mentioned that they had brought it up to you once before. Was that immediately after you announced your retirement did they reach out to you and say that they liked you to come back and work with the goaltenders?

Olie Kolzig - So I retired in what was it? 09? September of 09. Then I was approached in the Summer of 2010. Or was it 09? I don’t know. The time just seems like it’s flying by. It was two or three years ago when I was approached. So it wasn’t too long after I announced retirement.

Kolzig speaks to the media on Monday (Photo credit: Chris Gordon)

Elliot – Were those two years awesome though — where you were just sitting around doing nothing?

Olie Kolzig - Yeah. You know what, it wasn’t bad. I talked to a lot of friends and a lot of people that were pretty envious of me of what I was doing. At the same time, you feel sorta unfulfilled. To be retired at 40, it just doesn’t seem right. I mean, I was busy. I was actually busier than when I played. It’s just, I was away from the game that I had been playing my whole life. I got some gratification working with my Junior team last year. And I think that’s what got the wheels turning and me thinking and me coming back to the pro game. I really enjoyed coaching the kids and seeing how they take what you teach them and apply it to a game. And then seeing them have success from it. It’s pretty gratifying. I think that’s what drives coaches and makes them want to do it. Just seeing the people they work with get better. So yeah, it was time for me to get out of retirement. Most guys come back and play. But my body wasn’t going to allow me to do that. So this was the second best thing I could do.

Elliot – Did that thought ever cross your mind?

Olie Kolzig - No, no, no. You know what, the last couple years of my career my body was starting break down. I had a couple of major injuries my last two years. So for me, that was the way of saying it’s time to shut it down. I didn’t want to be Dominik Hasek or Brett Favre and be wishy-washy. Once I made my mind up, that was it.

Elliot – Hey Olie, let me ask you this. You keep saying working with the kids. Does that mean you’ll be splitting time between DC and Hershey?

Olie Kolzig - For the most part this year, I’ll be working with the guys in Hershey and in Charleston, South Carolina. There’s gonna be times when I’ll be up in Washington when Dave’s out scouting or when he can’t make it into town. For me it’s kind of a slow progression and slowly getting me into the routine of being a coach, what to look for, how to work with the goalies. So it’s something that’s perfect for me. I don’t come in here blind and all of a sudden there’s this overwhelming pressure to work with the NHL team. You know, it’s like some golfers. They are great golfers but they don’t know how to teach the golf swing. And then there’s guys that didn’t make it in golf, but they know how to teach someone how to swing flawlessly. I’m trying to make that transition from player to teacher. This is just a great way to slowly get into it.

Elliot – Down in Hershey, the big goaltending star there is obviously Braden Holtby. Have you spent much time talking with him? The reason I ask is because in a 24 hour period — once Varly was dealt to Colorado – I read somewhere where George McPhee had come out and said, “You know what, we’re fine with that. The job is going to be Neuvirth and Holtby. And they’ll compete. We’re very comfortable with two young goalies.” Then 24, 48 hours later, whatever it was, he signs Vokoun. It was a great signing, I have no problem with that. But then Holtby goes from having a shot of splitting of time or winning the starting job outright, to probably spending the bulk of the season in Hershey. Is he all right with that mentally?

Olie Kolzig - I haven’t talked to him. The only time I’ve ever talked to Braden was at the AHL All-Star game. You know what, as a young guy that’s just the world of the NHL. I don’t think the plan was to have a guy like Tomas Vokoun here. But you know, on the second day of free agency when no body had signed him and there really wasn’t any teams out there that needed a goaltender – it was just too good of an opportunity and for the amount of money they paid for him, to pass up. Here you got a veteran guy, who I think is one of the top goalies in the NHL.

Elliot – He’s really, really good. He’s just been stuck playing for a crap team.

Olie Kolzig - Exactly. And when the pressure’s on, at the international stage for the Czech Republic, he’s always shined. This guy can play under pressure. And like I said, he’s a veteran. To me, I think it’s just a great tandem to have a veteran and a young guy. And Michal Neuvirth – obviously, with what he did last year – is an up-and-coming star. Then you have a guy like Braden Holtby who is going to be a star in his own right. But at the same time, Michal Neuvirth went through the rigors of the East Coast league and the American league and he had a lot of success at the American league. And was able to translate at the NHL. Now Braden Holtby only had one year last year. Yeah, it stinks. Because you see one of the three studs traded to Colorado and this guy has the ability to step in and play in the NHL this year. In his eyes, it might look like a setback. At that age, you need to play and there’s still development. It’s a process. It’s not a given that you should be given a position. You need to continually get better as a goaltender. So I look at this as a positive for him. You play a lot of hockey and he’s gonna get an opportunity this year. With the rigor of the NHL, there’s always injury. He”ll get a shot again. If he stays patient, he’s good enough. Eventually he’ll play. He’s just gotta bide his time.

Elliot – There are some people who were saying that Holtby’s the best of the three.

Olie Kolzig - It’s hard to say. Yeah, he has that skill where he handles the puck and he has a great, competitive demeanor. Last year, he got called up early and struggled a little bit. Then, he came up later and had success. He’s gotta have that consistency when he’s up there.

I know, coming back to the American league after having a successful stint in the NHL is a little bit of a downer. Again though, it’s a process. You’ve gotta develop consistency – and I’m not saying that he doesn’t have that – but It’s just something to continue to work on. You’re going to have highs and lows. It’s how you deal with it. The bottom line is to just play hockey. Sometimes you can’t control what management or the coaches do. You just control what you can do and let them make a decision.

Elliot – It must be weird to hear yourself talk like that. As a player, at times, you were emotional and a hot head.

Olie Kolzig - It was probably what kept me from playing so long! As a player, you’re totally different. You’re in the heat of the moment.. In all honesty, having that emotion that I had, yeah it might have hurt me early on in my career, but I think it’s what kept me going for so long. I’ve always had passion when I played the game. I wore my emotions on my sleeve. Like I said – sometimes that got me in trouble. I learned throughout my career to channel it a different way. By playing so long and by having Dave as a goalie coach so long, you’re able to understand what they’re saying. Now I’m on the other side of the fence, I can relate those issues to the younger guys. Tell them about the experiences I went through and how I was able to channel my emotions in the right way to have more success on the ice. But it does sound weird. Now all of the sudden I’m a philosopher instead of a goalie.

Grubauer stops Mattias Sjogren in a shootout (Photo credit: Chris Gordon)

Elliot – I was reading about prospect camp which is going on right now. Isn’t there a German kid that’s in the system that’s supposed to be doing well right now?

Olie Kolzig - Phillipp Grubauer. Most likely he’ll end up in South Carolina and that’s strictly because of the numbers. I think the kid can play in the American League level. It’s only been three or four days — the kid hasn’t played for about five months because of mononucleosis so he was out for a while —  but this kid looks to be really good.

Elliot – Would you say he’s the second best goalie of German descent?

Olie Kolzig - I’d be comfortable with saying that.

Elliot - Is the family moving back [to DC]?

Olie Kolzig - No, we’re actually going to move to Tampa. We’re going to be based out of Tampa. With me going to South Carolina and having lived there for two years, the kids were at a great school there and had a ton of friends, it just makes for an easy commute.

Elliot – The kids are doing well, I assume.

Olie Kolzig - Yeah. The kids are doing really well. They’re all excited about the move and maybe having daddy not around quite as much.

Elliot – You’re going to have a place at DC and in Hershey? Dude, the parties at Kolzig’s are going to be awesome!

Olie Kolzig - Well, the place in Hershey might be the Hershey Lodge Hotel.

Elliot – Oh, awesome. That’ll be be great.

Olie Kolzig - Yeah. I’ll bring the chocolates!

Elliot – I hear you were back a couple of weeks ago. We talked to Halpern once he re-signed and I guess you were at his wedding. How awesome is it that he’s back?

Olie Kolzig - It’s fantastic. I actually texted him because I think he was on his honeymoon when he actually signed the contract. I texted him, “Congratulations. They’re putting the band back together.” I think it’s a great fit. I think the guy can still play. Great centerman. Just a great guy in the lockeroom. Such a smart hockey guy. Obviously, it makes sense with the DC-born kid coming back. I think it’s fantastic for the team.

Elliot – I loved our moves during the off-season…

Olie Kolzig - I think they addressed some things and I think they improved the leadership in the dressing room. You know, the Caps go as Ovie, Semin, Backstrom and Green go. So if they can bounce back and play to their true form, this team should be the favorite going into the regular season again.

Elliot – Are you going to the convention again or as a coach are you staying away?

Olie Kolzig - Nope. I’ll be there!!

Elliot – You’ll be up there in one of the forums called “Coaches Clinic.” That’ll be what you’re doing now. The players get to be mad at you now. Aw man, I love everything about this transition.

Olie Kolzig - I wasn’t told about that. I may have to reconsider then!

Elliot – It’s great to have you back, my friend.

Olie Kolzig - I’m happy to be back.

Audio of Interview:

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Former Capitals great and new associate goaltending coach Olie Kolzig has put up his 15,260 square foot property up for sale. The 90-acre Kennewick, Washington estate is available for just $4.1 million or, in other words, just a few Maybachs.

The Seattle Times has the deets:

The house owned by the Kolzigs feature three guest suites, private master suite, formal living and dining salons, chef’s gourmet kitchen, two offices, media room, sports bar, gym, craft studio, 1,000 bottle wine cellar and two guest/staff apartments.

The mansion’s expansive sports bar features a dartboard, a hockey table and game-worn jerseys from Jeff Halpern, Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby?? There are also horse and kitten themed bedrooms for his daughters Kendall and Ashlyn and a Spongebob Squarepants themed room for his son Carson.

Below, check out some more exquisite photos of the property, which was published by the Columbia Valley Wine Country Estate website. And one final note: can whoever buys this home please adopt us?

Photos (Click to enlarge)

A view from the back side of the house

The front gate

The view from the front door

Living room with fireplace

The kitchen

Dining area

Master bathroom

Master bedroom

1,00 bottle wine cellar

The kids’ bedrooms

Sports bar area

Theatre room

Weight room

Hot tub

The pool at dusk

The view from the balcony

To get more information on the property and see even more photos, go here.

S/T to @CapsGoalieLove for tweeting the listing out and @ClancyKolzig for locating the Seattle Times story for us.

“Time heals all wounds.” – Olie Kolzig (Photo credit: Joe Lavelle)

Olie Kolzig is back! Three years after the fan favorite goalie lost his starting role to Cristobal Huet and left on bad terms the club with which he had spent his entire NHL career, Kolzig has rejoined the Capitals as associate goaltender coach. In his new role, Kolzig will assist Dave Prior, who regains the title of goaltender coach he gave up in 2009 to spend more time with his family. Arturs Irbe took over for Prior but decided not to return for the 2011-12 season, citing reasons similar to Prior’s when he left his coaching job.

“I’m ecstatic to finally come back basically to the place I call home — playing there for so long,” Kolzig told reporters on a conference call. “Being away for two years, I started to get the itch again to get involved again with hockey. … When Dave Prior called me a few weeks back and pitched the idea of coming back and being an associate goaltending coach and working with him, I thought there’s probably not a better person that I want to work with and an organization that I want to be back together with.”

And Kolzig wasn’t the only one who found it a perfect match.

Photo credit: Bruce Bennett

“Finding someone else to bring in to work with Dave, our first choice was Olie, the first one who came to mind,” said Caps General Manager George McPhee. “We actually talked to him about it a few years ago and he wasn’t ready at that time, but he seems to be ready now and excited about it and probably a little bit nervous too.”

As for Prior, he will handle the main duties of coaching Washington’s NHL goalie corps, which currently consist of two players he recommended drafting in 2006 — Semyon Varlamov (24th overall) and Michal Neuvirth (34th overall). Kolzig will fill a part-time support role as well as being a mentor to the club’s minor league netminders, similar to what he has done the past few years with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, a team he co-owns. Kolzig said that the arrangement enable will allows him to test the waters of coaching, but still be able to make a difference.

“I really didn’t know what I was going to do once hockey was over,” he said. “But spending the last year and a bit with my junior team and working with the kids and then seeing results and seeing them actually apply what you’re teaching them in a game and being successful really was fulfilling. I started to think about it a little more and was wondering, ‘Maybe I should give it a shot at the NHL level?’”

There will, Kolzig said, be ample talent to mold with Varlamov, Neuvirth and Braden Holtby, who are all under the age of 23. “I don’t think there is an organization in the league that has such depth at such a young age, which wasn’t always the case with the Caps,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun working with all three of them.”

In additional to Washington’s netminders, Olie the Goalie had nothing but praise for Prior — his old coach — and his methods, even though Prior was key to the Capitals’ acquisition of Huet in 2008, which played a major part in Kolzig’s departure.

“Dave is probably the biggest reason why I enjoyed the success I had in the NHL,” the 41 year-old said. “Before he came onboard in ’97, I was kind of floundering between call-ups and playing in the minors and not really having any sort of consistent game. Dave came in and it wasn’t so much of a technical adjustment as it was a mental one. And Dave just has the demeanor that just seemed to work.”

But following in the footsteps of his mentor and becoming a coach will require a bit of a transition. ”Once I get in there I got to remind myself I’m a coach now, not a player, and maybe back off of some of the things I would have said as a player,” Kolzig said.

Kolzig was a steady bright spot for Washington from the mid-90s to the late-2000s. He led the team to the Stanley Cup Final in 1998, won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie in 2000 and spent countless hours over the years interacting with and signing autographs for supporters, creating a new generation of fans by doing things as simple as remembering someone’s name. Kolzig also did significant charity work, founding two organizations to raise money for Autism research after his son, Carson, was diagnosed with the disorder. Those good deeds earned him the NHL’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy for humanitarian work in 2006 and a soft spot in the hearts of the Caps faithful.

Photo credit: Ryan Remiorz

After his fallout with Capitals following the 2007-08 season, Kolzig signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Serving as the backup, he saw just eight games with the team before suffering a season-ending arm injury. At the 2009 trade deadline, Kolzig was dealt to the Maple Leafs, but never played a game for Toronto before calling it a career.

“Time heals all wounds,” said Kolzig. “The more I was removed from a few years ago and being retired and getting a better prospective on things and being the owner of a hockey team myself… you realize it’s a business. Things were handled in a business fashion, and since then I came to Caps Convention last year, spent some time with George [McPhee] and with Ted [Leonsis]. No ill will towards each other, certainly not on my part and not on their part, not that there ever was. So we just moved on.”

Now that he has moved on, Kolzig can begin contemplating how to address Caps’ biggest problem of all: the lack of playoff success. “They just have to find whatever it is, bring in a few news players, I don’t know,” he said. “They’ve got too much talent not to go further than they have.”