It was clear today at Kettler Capitals Iceplex that the fun and games were over. The Capitals got down to business in practice working harder than I have seen over the past few days. The coaches worked the players hard after the team's overtime loss to Carolina on Sunday afternoon.
The practices took a more serious turn as the both ice sheets were used. There seemed more tension in the players that were still looking for a spot on the regular season roster. The coaches seemed to be testing the players even more with some longer and more complex drills.
Olaf Kolig lost his cool a little bit during his workout. He was working on stopping one-timers from the slot when Jame Pollock slipped the puck past Olie twice in a row. Kolzig took out his frustration on his stick slamming it on the goalpost and snapping it in two. He wasn't done there though, as he skated to the bench for a new stick, he took a couple more swipes with his broken stick at the players bench. I couldn't help but tell the guy next to me, "Too bad Kolzig doesn't play with enough passion."
Kolzig's rant may have been funny, and a bit odd to the maybe 20-25 people who attended the practice, but it did show how much of a perfectionist Olie wants to be this season. It's that competitiveness that both helps and hurts the veteran goaltender. Kolzig is becoming a little more like himself, and for the Capitals, that is a very good thing.
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