There were over 70 Capitals alumni in the house Thursday night for Caps 50 Fest, celebrating the beginning of the franchise’s 50th season, but only one of them was the 2000 Vezina Trophy winner.
If you know your history, you know that’s Olie the Goalie, aka Olaf Kolzig, who was thrilled to be back with such a distinguished group as he joined Grant & Danny at the event.
“Peter Bondra has done a phenomenal job in resuscitating these alumni, and it has just grown from year to year,” Kolzig said. “With this being the 50th, we've had the most turnout that we've ever had for this event. I just was downstairs, and there’s guys I hadn’t seen since I played, and guys that played here in the seventies I got to meet for the first time. It's phenomenal down there, and the connection that this organization has with this city is exemplary. It’s a great way to kick off the 50th anniversary.”
When it comes to the current team, who drop the puck on Saturday for the first time, Kolzig was coy given his role in the organization, but he is hoping they continue to build on the Ovechkin era that has rejuvenated the franchise.
“I think it's done everything; the excitement it's generated, when you come here to watch a game, it's an event. It's boisterous, especially when our guys are doing well,” Kolzig said. “We get the unleash the fury late in the third period, and when we're competing for first place, when we're battling and competing in the playoffs, it’s just such a great time to be here. This era of Caps hockey is obviously one of the best that's been in the 50 years that we've been here.”
This era has brought about a lot of change in the area, including one Danny knows personally: the evolution of the sport for local youth from what he called “Wayne’s World style” street hockey into a bevy of opportunities and leagues.
“I think that goes hand in hand when you have a successful team and you have some players that the community loves. When you bring your kids to games and then all of a sudden they see an Alex Ovechkin or a Braden Holtby or a Peter Bondra, and they're like, ‘I wanna play that game,’ they talk to their parents about how they get to play hockey,” Kolzig said. “And so when you have more and more people like that, you know, there's a movement and then there was a demand for new arenas, so they built them. And then the minor hockey program started taking off, and there's definitely a correlation between the NHL team and minor hockey. If you have a successful program with some star players, the kids are usually the ones that want the parents to get them playing hockey.”
Take a listen to Kolzig’s entire visit, as he looks at goaltender contracts getting bigger, Ovi’s chase for Gretzky, and much more!