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Olaf Kölzig (born April 6, 1970) is a goalie for the NHL's Washington Capitals. He has the distinction of being the only person in the NHL to be born in the southern hemisphere, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
"Olie the Goalie" has been a part of the Washington Capitals franchise since being selected by them in the draft of 1989. He spent several years in the AHL with the Baltimore Skipjacks , the Hampton Roads Admirals and the Portland Pirates, after playing major junior hockey for the New Westminster Bruins/Tri-City Americans. He played his first NHL game in the 1989- 1990, only to be sent down to the minors for a few years. In 1995- 1996, he was brought up to become a replacement for then goalie, Jim CareyJim Carey (Born: May 31, 1974 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA-) is an American retired professional National Hockey League goaltender. He was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Second Round, Thirty-second Overall. He played and has been the starting goalie ever since.
In 2000 he won the Vezina TrophyThe Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the person deemed the best ice hockey goalkeeper as voted on by the general managers of the teams in the National Hockey League. Until the 1981-82 season, the goalkeeper(s) of the team allowing the fewest number of as the NHL's best goalie after going 41-20-11 with a 2.24 GAA and 5 Shutouts.
He was also the starting goalie for GermanyThe Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland is one of the world's leading industrialized countries, located in the middle of the European Union. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea, to the east's Olympic team in the 1998 Winter OlympicsThe XVIII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Other candidate cities were Aosta, Italy; Jaca, Spain; Ostersund, Sweden; and Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Highlights XC skier Bjorn Daehlie of Norway won three gold medals in Nordic skiing in Nagano, Japan, having a 1.00 GAA in two wins for them. He also has the admirable distinction of being one of the few goaltenders ever to play a scoreless period during an the NHL All-Star Game.