Olaf Kölzig

Olaf Kölzig
Kölzig before a game in 2007
Born	(1970-04-06) 6 April 1970 (age 46) Johannesburg, South Africa
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	221 lb (100 kg; 15 st 11 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Washington Capitals Tampa Bay Lightning
National team	Germany
NHL Draft	19th overall, 1989 Washington Capitals
Playing career	1989–2009

Olaf Kölzig (born 6 April 1970), known as Olie the Goalie or Godzilla, is a South African-born German former professional ice hockey goaltender, subsequently the goaltender coach and now player development coach for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). With the exception of 8 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he played his entire 14-year NHL career with the Capitals.

Kölzig was born in South Africa but grew up in several cities across Canada; 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, allowed him to represent Germany internationally. He was the first African-born player in the NHL.

Kölzig was selected by the Capitals in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. He spent several years in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Baltimore Skipjacks, Rochester Americans, and Portland Pirates (with whom he won the 1994 Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as MVP of the AHL playoffs, and the 1994 Hap Holmes Memorial Award), and the East Coast Hockey League (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 went 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 29 November 1989, Kölzig scored a goal with the Americans. During 2004–05 NHL lock-out he signed with the German club Eisbären Berlin.