Well damn....That sucks to see Olie all choked up like that.
There is no doubt what he has given to this organization...Although I feel his time has past...It would have been nice if GMGM could have let the big guy know what was going on.
>>>"It would have been nice if GMGM could have let the big guy know what was going on."<<<
He did let him know--Olie says so. Kolzig just didn't believe him after the Caps got Huet. It was a move, that as Kolzig admits, had to be done. Just because McPhee pulled the trigger doesn't mean that Kolzig's time with the organization was over. He said McPhee told him before the trade that his spot was secure and that they'll talk about his future in the summer. McPhee reiterated that in public after the trade was made, and Olie said that McPhee called him at the end of the season, but Kolzig had already made up his mind.
No GM I know discusses contracts or the next season with their players when their team is in the middle of fighting for the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Olie has created this situation. He's struggled all season, finding himself in a platooning situation with Johnson and then being outplayed by Huet, he's complained in the press about his new coach, and he became the Janaszak for the Capitals magical run. For a guy of his competitive nature, it was extremely tough, and I credit him for keeping quiet as much as he did.
But it still didn't have to end this way, and that's not the organization's fault.
I agree with exwhaler to an extent. A lot of athletes play the "treat me like a man at least" card when they don't get what they want. This happens in the NFL all the time when players get franchised.
I think that's what Olie is doing here and I think his frustration is misdirected. The team is very good now if not great, and it's correlating with his decline as a player. Unfortunate timing but not GMGM's or Leonsis' fault. BTW irrelevant point: If there were no salary cap, I don't even think this would be an issue.
For someone who's been an apparant locker-room cancer, he sure did keep quiet and the team sure did do better. Oh, and so did he. I'm tired of people calling him a prima-donna, when the only thing he gave to this organization was what, nearly 20 years of service and hard work?
Heaven forbid someone get upset. He's not Chad Johnson or Ray Emery.
>>>"If caps fans didn't have someone to scapegoat they'd not know what the hell to do with themselves. That's all this is."<<<
I'm not scapegoating him. I understand where Kolzig's coming from, and I'm not blaming him for feeling this way. But at the same time, I'm being realistic about how this came about, and that it's nobody fault, no matter what Kolzig believes. He's human, for cryin' out loud, so I'm not going to sit here and begrudge him his emotions, even if I feel his reasoning is wrong and I think he's making a mistake in his decision.
I've seen other beloved and classy players do the same thing--the most reason one being the Cardinals' Jim Edmonds, who was facing the same situation this past MBL off-season that Kolzig is now. He asked to be traded from the organization with whom he should have retired, and wound up being released over the weekend by his new team. As a fan, I understood his feelings, but watching how his career ended was painful.
It didn't have to end that way, and the same goes for Kolzig. And that's what hurts the most.
Click here to watch Olie Kolzig's Friday interview (in two parts) with Comcast SportsNet's Jill Sorenson.
11 comments:
Kind of ironic how his shirt says "lucky."
Well damn....That sucks to see Olie all choked up like that.
There is no doubt what he has given to this organization...Although I feel his time has past...It would have been nice if GMGM could have let the big guy know what was going on.
This is getting sadder and sadder. I hope Olie gets his Cup.
>>>"It would have been nice if GMGM could have let the big guy know what was going on."<<<
He did let him know--Olie says so. Kolzig just didn't believe him after the Caps got Huet. It was a move, that as Kolzig admits, had to be done. Just because McPhee pulled the trigger doesn't mean that Kolzig's time with the organization was over. He said McPhee told him before the trade that his spot was secure and that they'll talk about his future in the summer. McPhee reiterated that in public after the trade was made, and Olie said that McPhee called him at the end of the season, but Kolzig had already made up his mind.
No GM I know discusses contracts or the next season with their players when their team is in the middle of fighting for the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Olie has created this situation. He's struggled all season, finding himself in a platooning situation with Johnson and then being outplayed by Huet, he's complained in the press about his new coach, and he became the Janaszak for the Capitals magical run. For a guy of his competitive nature, it was extremely tough, and I credit him for keeping quiet as much as he did.
But it still didn't have to end this way, and that's not the organization's fault.
I agree with exwhaler to an extent. A lot of athletes play the "treat me like a man at least" card when they don't get what they want. This happens in the NFL all the time when players get franchised.
I think that's what Olie is doing here and I think his frustration is misdirected. The team is very good now if not great, and it's correlating with his decline as a player. Unfortunate timing but not GMGM's or Leonsis' fault. BTW irrelevant point: If there were no salary cap, I don't even think this would be an issue.
Gut wrenching at the end.
For someone who's been an apparant locker-room cancer, he sure did keep quiet and the team sure did do better. Oh, and so did he. I'm tired of people calling him a prima-donna, when the only thing he gave to this organization was what, nearly 20 years of service and hard work?
Heaven forbid someone get upset. He's not Chad Johnson or Ray Emery.
If caps fans didn't have someone to scapegoat they'd not know what the hell to do with themselves. That's all this is.
I feel like the worst part is that he never got a chance to hoist The Cup for the team he gave so much to for so many years.
@exwhaler: reading your comments, you and i are in exactly the same place regarding this issue.
that said, i teared up at the end of this interview, and i am still holding out hope for a huet/kolzig tandem next year.
>>>"If caps fans didn't have someone to scapegoat they'd not know what the hell to do with themselves. That's all this is."<<<
I'm not scapegoating him. I understand where Kolzig's coming from, and I'm not blaming him for feeling this way. But at the same time, I'm being realistic about how this came about, and that it's nobody fault, no matter what Kolzig believes. He's human, for cryin' out loud, so I'm not going to sit here and begrudge him his emotions, even if I feel his reasoning is wrong and I think he's making a mistake in his decision.
I've seen other beloved and classy players do the same thing--the most reason one being the Cardinals' Jim Edmonds, who was facing the same situation this past MBL off-season that Kolzig is now. He asked to be traded from the organization with whom he should have retired, and wound up being released over the weekend by his new team. As a fan, I understood his feelings, but watching how his career ended was painful.
It didn't have to end that way, and the same goes for Kolzig. And that's what hurts the most.
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