2005 Washington Capitals Preview
Welcome to the 2005 Washington Capitals Preview page. The NHL Hockey Season is around the corner and what better way to remind the public how exciting the NHL can be with a 2005 season preview from Maddux Sports. Remember if you are betting on NHL hockey look no further, as we are one of the few sports handicapping services that offers NHL picks against the hockey betting line and can help you be a winner this NHL betting season.
2005 Washington Capitals Hockey Season Preview
Olie Kolzig is in the fourteenth year of his NHL career, every one spent with the Capitals. Alexander Ovechkin is entering his second year with the team, but it’s his first year on ice due to the lockout. What these two players have in common is the fact that the Capitals are expecting a lot from each of them, probably more than anyone has ever asked of them before. They are supposed to carry the team. Can two guys carry 30 others for a full 82-game season?
The Caps have built their team around Kolzig who has a lifetime GAA of 2.57 and a save percentage of .909. Respectable statistics but these are not franchise player numbers. The net minder’s best season occurred in 1997-98 when he played 64 games and earned a 33-18-10 record. He had a .920 save percentage and a 2.20 GAA. The following year he played the same number of games but saw his numbers spike to 2.58 GAA and .900 save percentage. His record was 26-31-3. In 1999-2000, when he won the Vezina Trophy, Kolzig had another career year posting a 41-20-11 mark. It seemed he may have found his balance.
But each year has been an adventure with the unpredictable Kolzig. In his last NHL season he was 19-35-9 with 2.89 goals against and a .908 save mark. This was Kolzig’s worst performance since becoming the Capital’s main man in net in 1997. No one really knows what to expect from this talented, inconsistent player.
Although everyone expects great things from rookie winger Ovechkin, he is untested in the NHL. He played on the top line for Russia’s national team last year, but the NHL is another league and it will take some time to break-in. To think that the twenty-year-old can deliver instant superstar numbers and a full-seasoned, magical performance is unrealistic.
Perhaps it makes most sense to wish for the best this year but to acknowledge the fact that this is the beginning of what may be a new era for Washington. Understanding that and realizing that new eras are not created overnight may just give the rookie and the goaltender some time to create Cup inspiring moments on the ice.
