Olaf Kölzig (born 6 April 1970) is a South African-born German former professional ice hockey goaltender and current goaltender coach and player development coach for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). With the exception of eight games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he played his entire 14-year NHL career with the Capitals.
Nicknamed “Olie the Goalie,” Kölzig was born in South Africa to German parents and 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 allowed him to represent Germany internationally. Kölzig ranks among the NHL’s top 30 in career saves (15th with 18,233), wins (28th with 303), games (23rd with 719), and minutes (23rd with 41,671).
| Position | Goalkeeper |
| International Play |  GermanyWorld Cup of Hockey (1996 & 2004) World Championships (1997 & 2004) Olympics (1998 & 2006) |
| Teams Played For | Abbotsford Falcons (British Columbia Junior) New Westminster Bruins (Western Hockey League) Tri-City Americans (WHL) Washington Capitals (National Hockey League) Hampton Roads Admirals (East Coast Hockey League) Baltimore Skipjacks (American Hockey League) Rochester Americans (AHL) Portland Pirates (AHL) Eisbären Berlin (Deutsche Eishockey Liga) Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Awards and Accolades | As a Player: 1st Goaltender to score a WHL Goal (11-29-1989) WHL West Second All Star (1989) First Round NHL Draft Pick (1989) Jack Butterfield Trophy1 (1994) Calder Cup Champion2 (1994) Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award3 (1994) NHL All-Star (1998 & 2000) Vezina Trophy4 (2000) NHL Foundation Player Award5 (2001) Deutsche Eishockey Liga Champion (2004-5) King Clancy Memorial Trophy6 (2006) Washingtonian of the Year (2000) ECHL Hall of Fame (2010) As a Coach: Stanley Cup Champion7 (2018) |
Transactons
| 1989-06-17 | Drafted in the 1st Round with the 19th pick overall by the Washington Capitals |
| 2005-02-02 | Signed as a Free Agent with Berlin (Germany). |
| 2008-07-01 | Signed as a Free Agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning. |
| 2009-03-04 | Traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning with 4th round draft pick in 2009 (previously acquired – later forfeited), Jamie Heward and Andy Rogers to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Richard Petiot. |
| 2009-09-23 | Retired. |
- AHL Play-off MVP w/ Portland Pirates ↩︎
- AHL Play-off championship cup ↩︎
- Lowest Goals Against Average in the AHL (shared with Byron Dafoe) ↩︎
- Best Goalkeeper for the Regular NHL Season ↩︎
- Awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) player “who applies the core values of [ice] hockey—commitment, perseverance and teamwork—to enrich the lives of people in his community” Last awarded in 2016-17 season. ↩︎
- given annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community. ↩︎
- Presented to the winner of the NHL Playoffs. Kolzig was the Pro Development Coach for the team. ↩︎