Capitals Showdown: Kolzig vs. Holtby

The Washington Capitals are fortunate to have had two spectacular goalies in their history. Olaf Kolzig was selected by general manager David Poile with the 19th overall pick in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft and Braden Holtby was chosen by GM George McPhee with the 93rd overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Both goalies had stellar NHL careers, but which one is the best goalie in franchise history?

Looking Back on Kolzig’s Career

Kolzig’s journey to becoming the Washington starter took a bit of time. He made his NHL debut in 1989-90 and was one of five goalies to suit up during that campaign, along with Mike Liut, Don Beaupre, Bob Mason, and Jim Hrivnak. Kolzig played in two games to start and lost both. He split the 1990-91 and 1991-92 campaigns between the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Baltimore Skipjacks and the Hampton Roads Admirals of the ECHL (the East Coast Hockey League at the time).

Olaf Kolzig Washington Capitals — Olaf Kolzig, Washington Capitals, 2007 (By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)), via Wikimedia Commons)

Kolzig finally got back into the NHL for a game in 1992-93, and gradually built up his career from there. In 1993-94, he suited up for seven games; in 1994-95, he played 14; and in 1995-96, he played 18. By the end of the 1997-98 campaign, he was the starting goalie, playing 64 regular-season contests. On top of that, the Capitals fought their way through the 1998 Playoffs and made it to the Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings. Despite stellar play from Kolzig, the Red Wings won their second Cup in a row.

During his NHL career, Kolzig won the Vezina Trophy for the 1999-00 campaign, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2005-06) and the NHL Foundation Player Award (2000-01). He also suited up for two NHL All-Star Games (1998 and 2000).

By the time Kolzig finished his career, he was the Capitals’ franchise leader in wins, games played, and shutouts. He posted the following results during this time with the organization:

1989-90: two losses, 6.00 goals-against average (GAA), and a .810 save percentage (SV%) in two games played
1992-93: 6.00 GAA and .714 SV% in one game played
1993-94: three losses, 5.37 GAA, and a .844 SV% in seven games played
1994-95: two wins, eight losses, two ties, 2.49 GAA, and a .902 SV% in 14 games played
1995-96: four wins, eight losses, two ties, 3.08 GAA, and a .887 SV% in 18 games played
1996-97: eight wins, 15 losses, four ties, 2.59 GAA, .906 SV%, and two shutouts in 29 games played
1997-98: 33 wins, 18 losses, 10 ties, 2.20 GAA, .920 SV%, and five shutouts in 64 games played
1998-99: 26 wins, 31 losses, three ties, 2.58 GAA, .900 SV%, and four shutouts in 64 games played
1999-00: 41 wins, 20 losses, 11 ties, 2.24 GAA, .917 SV%, and five shutouts in 73 games played
2000-01: 37 wins, 26 losses, eight ties, 2.48 GAA, .909 SV%, and five shutouts in 72 games played
2001-02: 31 wins, 29 losses, eight ties, 2.79 GAA, .903 SV%, and six shutouts in 71 games played
2002-03: 33 wins, 25 losses, six ties, 2.40 GAA, .919 SV%, and four shutouts in 66 games played
2003-04: 19 wins, 35 losses, nine ties, 2.89 GAA, .908 SV%, and two shutouts in 63 games played
2005-06: 20 wins, 28 losses, 11 OT, 3.53 GAA, and a .896 SV% in 59 games played
2006-07: 22 wins, 24 losses, six OT, 3.00 GAA, .910 SV%, and one shutout in 54 games played
2007-08: 25 wins, 21 losses, six OT, 2.91 GAA, .892 SV%, and one shutout in 54 games played

For many years, Kolzig was considered the greatest goaltender in franchise history. Then came Holtby.

Holtby Grabs the Starter Reins

McPhee tried multiple replacements to fill the void after Kolzig left D.C. He tried Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth, who only got the Capitals so far before he found Holtby.

Holtby debuted for the Capitals during the 2010-11 season. He played in 14 games and posted a record of 10-2-2. His GAA was 1.79, while his SV% was .934. He also had two shutouts. His workload gradually increased, and his game got more and more impressive. He went from playing in 36 games in 2012-13 to 48 in 2013-14, and then 73 in 2014-15, establishing himself as their go-to netminder. His regular-season career for the Capitals included the following numbers:

2010-11: 10 wins, two losses, two OT, 1.79 GAA, .934 SV%, and two shutouts in 14 games played
2011-12: four wins, two losses, one OT, 2.50 GAA, .922 SV%, and one shutout in seven games played
2012-13: 23 wins, 12 losses, one OT, 2.58 GAA, .920 SV%, and four shutouts in 36 games played
2013-14: 23 wins, 15 losses, four OT, 2.85 GAA, .915 SV%, and four shutouts in 48 games played
2014-15: 41 wins, 20 losses, 10 OT, 2.22 GAA, .923 SV%, and nine shutouts in 73 games played
2015-16: 48 wins, nine losses, seven OT, 2.20 GAA, .922 SV%, and three shutouts in 66 games played
2016-17: 42 wins, 13 losses, six OT, 2.07 GAA, .925 SV%, and nine shutouts in 63 games played
2017-18: 34 wins, 16 losses, four OT, 2.99 GAA, and a .907 SV% in 54 games played
2018-19: 32 wins, 19 losses, five OT, 2.82 GAA, .911 SV%, and three shutouts in 59 games played
2019-20: 25 wins, 14 losses, six OT, 3.11 GAA, and a .897 SV% in 48 games played

Braden Holtby Washington Capitals — Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

The main difference between the two goalies is that Holtby was a big factor in the Capitals winning their first championship. Kolzig helped Washington reach the 1998 Cup Final, but they came out of that series on the losing end. Holtby helped defeat the Vegas Golden Knights in five games, with solid saves, including robbing former Golden Knights winger Alex Tuch in Game 2.

Holtby finished the 2018 Playoffs with a record of 16-7. He had a .922 SV%, a GAA of 2.16, and two shutouts. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, TJ Oshie, and Evgeny Kuznetsov were all huge contributors to the team’s Cup win. However, Holtby was the backbone who provided defensive relief when called upon. Had he not been on top of his game, the Capitals would not have won the Cup.

Holtby’s other awards include winning the Vezina Trophy in 2015-16 and the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2016-17.

Very Close Between Both Goalies

Kolzig and Holtby rank first and second in franchise wins. They also have the most games played for the Capitals, Kolzig leading with 711 games, while Holtby played 468 games. They are tied for the franchise lead in shutouts, with 35 each, and they both reached the Cup Final with the Capitals. The only difference here, as major as it is, is that Holtby won a championship. Otherwise, they are even to an extent.

Who is the better goalie? The title must belong to Holtby. Kolzig leads the Capitals in wins, but he also played hundreds more games for Washington than Holtby. If Holtby had played in 711 games instead of 468, it’s possible he would be the clear favorite for the best goalie in the organization’s history. Kolzig will always be a household name in D.C., but what Holtby was able to do in the amount of time he did it gives him the edge.