Alzner not skating and Kolzig ailing

Sounds like Karl Alzner is Hershey-bound sometime this week; Tarik El Bashir has the report.

"The only player not on the ice this morning other than Alex Ovechkin, who is taking the skate off, is rookie defenseman Karl Alzner. This likely means that he will be sent back down to Hershey today."

While I welcome the return of Tom Poti to the lineup, I feel that we have been spoiled by Alzner. We got to see a glimpse of our defensive future and, if this young man is to lead it, it's looking very promising.

Gustafsson of On Frozen Blog has brought this news tidbit concerning former Cap Olie Kolzig to my attention.

The St. Pete Times has the story.

Lightning backup Olie Kolzig will have surgery on Saturday to repair a ruptured distal biceps tendon in his left forearm. The surgery will be performed in Washington by orthopedist Ben Shaffer, a Capitals team physician who treated Kolzig when he played in Washington. Lightning head trainer Tommy Mulligan said Kolzig will be out three to four months. Unless Tampa Bay makes the playoffs, his season is over. It is unclear how this will affect the 17-year veteran's career. Kolzig spoke during Wednesday's practice and said he will not make any decisions about his future until the summer. He admitted, however, "In my mind, there's a lot of doubt for my future as far as hockey goes."

I can't fathom an Olie Kolzig comeback next season, with his lackluster stats and now injury worries. Despite his recent spat with the team and poor play, I always envisioned his exit from the NHL coming after lifting the Cup with the Capitals.

Here are his stats through the 2008-2009 season.


Here's to hoping he'll be okay.