Nearly 15 years ago a newly drafted Washington Capitals goalie stepped into international competition for the first time and recorded a breakthrough victory that earned him a spot on the opening day roster.
Yesterday in Prague, Olie Kolzig faced Arturs Irbe again, and another sensational battle ended in a 1-1 deadlock in the preliminary round of the IIHF World Championships. Kolzig was playing for his native Germany, while Irbe was wearing the colors of his native Latvia.
When the goalies first met in September 1989 in Riga, Latvia was a satellite of the Soviet Union and Irbe was a 21-year-old playing for Dynamo Riga in the Soviet Elite League. That game ended in a 2-1 overtime victory for Washington, with Mike Ridley scoring the winner. The tiny arena in Riga was filled to overflowing, the outlawed Latvian flag flying freely. The Soviet-hating crowd cheered wildly for the NHL team, which was on a training camp tour of Sweden and the USSR.
Kolzig made the Caps roster that October because veteran Don Beaupre was a holdout and not ready to play and backup Bob Mason was injured. Kolzig played in two regular-season games, losing both because of a lack of support, before going back to junior hockey.
Kolzig was again the darling of the fans yesterday in Sazka Arena, stopping 22 of 23 shots. He was named player of the game for Germany and had to be especially sharp in the third period, when the skilled Latvian team repeatedly came close to scoring.
“I thought we played much better than we did in the last game,” Kolzig told reporters in Prague. The Germans next play the Czechs, one of the pre-tournament favorites.
“I played against [Jaromir] Jagr many times and had my share of success,” Kolzig said. “He told me many times how Prague was and that I should come over here. And he’s right. I’m glad I’m here.”
Kolzig was born in South Africa, the son of German nationals who were working there in the hotel industry. He has played for Germany previously in world championships, the World Cup of Hockey and the Olympic Games.
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