The Caps moved quickly to resolve their open goaltending coach position by hiring a pair of familiar faces. Dave Prior, who retired from that position after the 2008-09 season following 12 years with the team, is once again the team’s director of goaltending. And Olie Kolzig, the franchise’s longtime goalie who led the franchise to the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals and played in 711 career games with Washington, was named the associate goaltender coach.
The team broke the news on its web site.Check out the story from Caps’ senior staff writer Mike Vogel here with quotes from Kolzig. Former goalie coach Arturs Irbe will not return after two seasons with the club. His contract runs out at the end of this month and he is returning to his native Latvia for family reasons.
“It came about quickly and worked out well,” general manager George McPhee said in a conference call with reporters this afternoon. “We knew we had an opening and Dave Prior had mentioned that he’d be interested in directing the department again. There were some things that he wanted to do and was ready to assume that role again. He did a real good job for us there before. So that worked in terms of the change. And then finding someone else to bring in and work with Dave – first choice was Olie. We had actually talked to him about it a few years ago. And he wasn’t ready at that time, but seems to be ready now, is excited about it and probably is a little bit nervous, too. He obviously wants to be good at it and is hoping that he can be. The time was right to do it.”
Kolzig, 41, is the team leader in games played, wins, shutouts and minutes played. The 2000 Vezina Trophy winner had a career .906 save percentage and a 2.70 goals-against average. Remember, things didn’t end on the best of terms in Washington. Kolzig was basically benched for the final month of the season in 2007-08 by coach Bruce Boudreau in favor of Cristobal Huet as the Caps made a dramatic playoff run. Kolzig played one more season with the Tampa Bay Lightning – a span that lasted just eight games because of injury – before finally retiring after the 2008-09 season.
“I’ll say that time heals all wounds,” Kolzig said. “The more I was removed from a few years ago and being retired and getting a better perspective on things and obviously being an owner of a [junior] hockey team myself [in Washington state]…you realize it’s a business and things were handled in a business fashion. And since then I came to Caps Convention last year and spent some time with George and with Ted. And it’s time to move on. There’s no ill will towards each other, certainly not on my part. Not on their part. Not that there ever was. So we just moved on and that’s why I was so excited when this opportunity came up.”
For his part, Prior retired after the 2008-09 season to spend more time with his family in Ontario. Three of the five lowest goals-against averages posted by Washington goalies came under Prior’s watch during 12 years with the team. He’s also been an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings. He was instrumental in the team drafting young goalies Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth in 2006 and has worked with both players before. And, of course, he worked with Kolzig for years. Prior will again handle the day-to-day duties as goalie coach with Kolzig – whose family will relocate to Florida, where he finished his career – coming in and out during the season.
“Dave just has that demeanor that just seemed to work,” Kolzig said. “He was able to get me on track on a more consistent basis. And after I got the mental part down my physical part of my game really took off and I was able to have a lengthy and enjoyable NHL career. And so Dave means the world to me. My dad passing five, six years ago Dave became sort of a father figure for me and kind of helped to fill that void.”
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