Comments on: Should Olaf Kolzig's Number Be Retired By The Capitals?

By: Schultz for Norris

Schultz for Norris — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:28:27 +0000

I do think his number should be retired, but given the way that things went down at the end, we need to soil the number a bit and allow Aucoin to wear it next season. When Olie retires, Aucoin can change, but he’ll likely be gone by then anyway.

By: Nic

Nic — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:40:26 +0000

@exwhaler: Well said!
Speaking as a fan from that era, the “unretire 7″ chorus has really been bothering me.

By: exwhaler

exwhaler — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:49:27 +0000

Yvon was the heart and soul of the Capitals in the 1970s–ask any fan from that era. A guy like Labre–somebody whose importance to a franchise transends his stats–does not have any other way to be honored other than having his numbered retired by the team he served.
It’s also the *only* reason why Kolzig’s number will be retired. He’s not a Hall-of-Famer, and he’s the franchise leader at his position because the Capitals have never had a legit, elite goalie for a decent period of time. But what he means to the Capitals transends what he did on the ice.
In my mind, it’s the very reason why you retire numbers. Which is why you won’t see Hall-of-Famer Mike Gartner’s number retired.

By: b.orr4

b.orr4 — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:51:45 +0000

@Victor-Because Labre’s no more deservces to have his number retired than Kelly Miller or Craig Laughlin and maybe even less. Having his number hanging next to Hunter’s and Langway’s dimishes what it means to get your number retired. Yvon is a heck of nice guy, but his jersey is ganging solely because Abe Pollin liked him and had little to do with what he accomplished on the ice.

By: Jimmy Jazz

Jimmy Jazz — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:04:22 +0000

@Don’t Do It
I think that’s a valid point. It not so much foolish as it is cheeky; we’re not exactly the most storied franchise.

By: Victor

Victor — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:31:48 +0000

Everytime I see that in the rafters I cringe.
Any particular reason why?

By: b.orr4

b.orr4 — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:55:14 +0000

Forgot to add that if you really need to retire a number, how about starting with #11. He’s actually in the Hall of Fame.

By: b.orr4

b.orr4 — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:52:10 +0000

The Canadiens have an unwritten rule that they don’t have more jersies retired than they have Stanley Cup banners. I think the Caps would be wise to follow that guideline. However, I wouldn’t object to the unretiring of Yvon Labre’s jersey. Everytime I see that in the rafters I cringe.

By: Scotty Hockey

Scotty Hockey — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:08:08 +0000

While I would say that retiring Bondra’s 12 may be debatable (not even a point per game, and if you do him, then you should get Mike Gartner too), I would have to say an absolute yes to Ollie the Goalie. Ollie carried an average team to the Cup Finals, won a Vezina and stood strong for years with no support. Not to mention all of his charity work … The Rangers are retiring Adam Graves this coming season not just because of his work in 1994, but because he epitomized everything that a Ranger should be in terms of character, heart, desire and personality. From afar, it seemed like Ollie was that for the Caps. I hope that one day he is honoured as such.

By: pepper

pepper — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:21:27 +0000

I was far too young to appreciate Labre’s play, and I presume that the argument for “un-retiring” his number (if its a serious attempt at beginning a discussion) is based upon his paucity of points earned in his career (and GP too) and that his teams weren’t so special either (except especially abysmal).
But really a team should be able to retire a player’s number for any good reason. He seemed to be the face of the franchise in the 1970′s and intimately connected with the team’s community efforts and youth hockey promotion, I think, since day one. So that’s a good enough reason to me. He did also begin the Capitals tradition of solid “defensive” defensemen.