The Capitals lead the Eastern Conference in points and are one off the NHL lead, and a big part of it has been the goaltending platoon – newly-extended Logan Thompson is in the Top 3 in the NHL in wins, save percentage, and GAA, and Charlie Lindgren hasn’t been a slouch in net, either.
“The game has changed so much. When I played, (the No. 1) played 85 percent of the games, but there’s so much parity now that there’s pressure to win on a nightly basis, so you need your freshest guy in there,” Kolzig said. “For them to be able to have two guys that can do that and be fresh every night, it’s such a bonus. And on top of that, going into the playoffs, there's probably gonna be one guy that'll get the nod, but to know that if something happened, if he got hurt or wasn't playing well, the guy on the bench could just go in there and platoon and it'd be seamless, I think it's such a bonus for us.”
Kolzig, who has worked as both a goaltending coach and a player development coach in the Caps’ system, revealed that Thompson in particular was someone Washington long had eyes on, but his one year with the ECHL affiliate didn’t pan out, and it took going to Vegas to blossom into what he is now.
“We've always respected Logan Thompson. We were the first team to sign him out of Canadian college, so we knew what was there. He obviously went to a different organization and we weren't able to develop him the way we wanted to, but he developed great in Vegas,” Kolzig said. “Unfortunately, he got injured and wasn’t able to help out in Vegas’ Stanley Cup run, but we knew what we were getting, and I think he’s surpassed what we really thought was coming, and it’s great to see. He’s definitely earned the contract, and we’re happy for him.”
There are rumors flying that the Caps also want to lock up Lindgren long-term, and Kolzig is certain that will get accomplished, too.
“I’m sure something will get done with Chucky. He’s been such a great guy for this organization, unbelievable teammate, and it'd be tough to kind of break up that duo moving forward,” Kolzig said.
Kolzig will be in the house Saturday night when the Caps give away a duo bobblehead of him and Peter Bondra, on a night where they celebrate the third era of Caps history, including the move into DC and the first Stanley Cup Finals run.
“That was one of the more special nights when we beat Buffalo, and got back about 2 a.m. after celebrating in the dressing room,” Kolzig remembered of winning the conference title in ’98. “We knew something special was going on, because we were a mile or so from the rink and we already saw the cars lined up, and the place was packed. It was a special moment in the DMV’s connection with the Caps, and I think that was the start of something special – and when the next era came through, that’s really when hockey took off. That was a fun spring.”
Perhaps the spring of 2025, 27 years later, will be deja vu all over again?