Bring on the Straitjackets!

I am a firm believer that anyone who voluntarily becomes a goaltender is completely nuts. If someone said to you, "put on this plastic mask and a few pillows - I'm going to fire a piece of frozen rubber at your head (or worse, your groin)" the first response would probably be to run away. At least, that's what the normal, sane response would be. Goalies are another breed, though. They have to be. You can't go through what they go through and not be some sort of mutant human.

So it is with the utmost respect that I speak of my goaltending duo. The things they do on a nightly basis - in fact, the things most goalies do on a nightly basis - are amazing.

Olie shows off his wicked left hook
(by the way, this is my favorite Olie picture EVER!)

Johnny says "Hello" to Dan Boyle

My guys are just so adorable, and I don't mean attractive-looking (although...mother may I!). Olie Kolzig (aka Zilla) and Brent Johnson (Johnny) have formed a bizarre little friendship off the ice and clearly respect each other on the ice. There was an interview with the two of them recently where they were cracking each other up and literally finishing each other's sentences. They even ended up in Disney World at the same time over the All Star break, supposedly by accident.


Too darn cute for words, right?

Of course, they may be spending too much time together lately. Olie has long been known for having a quick temper that he's had to learn to control over the years, and many a goalie stick has met it's violent death after a bad goal. So imagine my surprise when the normally mild-mannered Johnny did a perfect imitation of his mentor during the most recent Buffalo game:

Olie? Is that you?

They have great personalities and together are hilarious, but most of all I love what these guys do every night on the ice. They've given this team more chances to win this season than they probably deserved and have been a big reason for the team's relative success to this point. It's comforting to know, then, that both should be around for at least a little while longer. Olie has made it clear that he wants to finish out his career here in DC, hopefully with a Cup run, while Johnny has recently been signed to a two-year contract extension. Yay!