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Topic: Olaf Kolzig

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Olaf Kölzig (born April 6, 1970) is a retired German professional ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL). Though Kölzig was born in South Africa, he grew up in several cities across Canada and his family moved to Union Bay, British Columbia, when he was a teenager. Kölzig never applied for Canadian citizenship, which, combined with his German parentage and German passport, allows him to represent Germany internationally. Kölzig played most of his career with the Washington Capitals but left as a free agent in 2008.

"Olie the Goalie" had been with the Washington Capitals franchise since they selected him in the 1989 Draft; he was the first South African-born player to be drafted to the NHL; he was the last remaining Capital to have worn the original red, white and blue uniform and the blue jersey from 1995. He spent several years in the American Hockey League with the Baltimore Skipjacks, Rochester Americans, and Portland Pirates, and the ECHL with the Hampton Roads Admirals, after playing major junior hockey for the New Westminster Bruins and Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League (WHL). During Kölzig's time with the Americans, he had an on-ice fistfight with Portland Winter Hawks goaltender Byron Dafoe, someone with whom he would go on to have a friendly rivalry in the NHL—so friendly that they served as each other's best man in their respective weddings. On November 29, 1989, Kölzig scored a goal with the Americans. During 2004/05 NHL lockout he signed with the German club Eisbären Berlin.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Olaf Kolzig."