Sandis Ozoliņš
Sandis Ozoliņš | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Latvian SSR, Soviet Union | 3 August 1972||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
Weight | 214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb) | ||
Position |
Defence | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Dinamo Riga San Jose Sharks Colorado Avalanche Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers Mighty Ducks of Anaheim New York Rangers Dinamo Riga Atlant Moscow Oblast | ||
National team | |||
NHL Draft |
30th overall, 1991 San Jose Sharks | ||
Playing career | 1990–2014 |
Sandis Ozoliņš (born 3 August 1972), commonly spelled Sandis Ozolinsh
Ozoliņš was drafted in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks as the 8th pick of the 2nd round, 30th overall. He played for the Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and New York Rangers. He is often considered a prototype "offensive defenseman," becoming heavily involved in his team's offense and scoring opportunities.
In 2014 Ozoliņš was awarded Order of the Three Stars for his long-standing contributions to Latvian ice hockey and sports.[1]
Playing career
Early playing career
Ozoliņš was drafted 30th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft and had played for the Kansas City Blades, a minor league team in the International Hockey League. He and Latvian teammate Artūrs Irbe won a Turner Cup with the Blades in 1992.
National Hockey League
San Jose Sharks
Ozoliņš joined the Sharks in
Colorado Avalanche
Ozoliņš began the
Carolina, Florida and Anaheim
During the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Ozoliņš was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Nolan Pratt and draft picks that became Václav Nedorost, Jared Aulin, and Agris Saviels. The agreement reunited Ozoliņš with fellow Latvian Artūrs Irbe. They had played together in Latvia and San Jose, shared an agent, and together funded a youth hockey organization that buys equipment for children in Latvia. After expiration of Ozoliņš' Avalanche deal, he signed a five-year contract with Carolina worth more than $25 million. "When you have a player like Sandis, you're willing to spend the money," general manager Jim Rutherford said.[4] Ozoliņš didn't help the Hurricanes to advance in the playoffs, playing just one and a half seasons with Carolina before being traded to the Florida Panthers.
Ozoliņš became a Panther after being acquired in 2001–02 mid-season from Carolina along with Byron Ritchie in exchange for Bret Hedican, Kevyn Adams, Tomáš Malec and a draft pick. Ozoliņš made his Panthers debut against Chicago on January 16, 2002. He wore #44 because #8 was already worn by Peter Worrell. Ozoliņš scored 10 goals and 19 assists in the remaining 37 games of the season. The Panthers did not make the playoffs during his time in Florida.
During the
NY Rangers and return to San Jose
Following the lockout in
Ozoliņš later entered into the league's substance abuse program following a drunk driving arrest. After playing 2 games for the Worcester Sharks of the AHL and being cleared to play by doctors within the league's substance abuse program, he signed a one-year contract with San Jose on November 2, 2007. "That was a big turnaround this summer and I'm finally comfortable with what I am and what has happened, I actually feel pretty good and I do what I have to do and I do what I was advised to do. And I do it for myself and not for anybody else," said Ozoliņš.[7] In the 2007–08 NHL season he scored 3 goals and 13 assists in 39 games for the Sharks. He had a notable highlight reel save against the Anaheim Ducks, where as the puck slipped by goalie Evgeni Nabokov, and Ozoliņš slipped and fell as he made a stick save on the goal line.
Kontinental Hockey League
Dinamo Riga
After his season with the Sharks, Ozoliņš was offered a one-year contract by the Los Angeles Kings worth $800,000, but he declined it[8] and went on hiatus from hockey for a year.
On July 13, 2009, Ozoliņš unexpectedly signed a one-year deal with
In the first month of the
Atlant Moscow Oblast
On September 24, 2012, Ozoliņš signed a one-year deal with KHL team
Return home
In the off-season, Ozoliņš made another return as a free agent to Dinamo Riga, signing a one-year contract on May 8, 2013.[17]
Retirement
On May 27, 2014, during an interview on national television he announced his retirement from professional hockey and plans to move into politics. However, he returned to Dinamo Riga as an assistant coach on October 31, 2016. He was promoted to head coach of the team on May 29, 2017.[18] On November 8, 2022, it was announced that Sandis Ozolinsh had been hired as an Amateur Scout for the Colorado Avalanche organization of whom he won his only Stanley Cup with as a player back in 1996.[19]
International play
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing Commonwealth of Independent States | ||
World Junior Championship
| ||
1992 Germany | Ice hockey | |
Representing Soviet Union | ||
World Junior Championship
| ||
1991 Canada | Ice hockey |
Ozoliņš, who was born in Latvia, played hockey internationally for the
Ozoliņš didn't play again internationally until 1998 due to injuries and the NHL playoff schedule. In 1998, after losing with the Avalanche to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs, Ozoliņš was able to rush to
After a three-year absence, Ozoliņš helped Latvia qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics Ice hockey tournament. It was intended to be his last international tournament; he announced his international retirement to the media following the conclusion of the Olympics.[20] In spite of his announced retirement he rejoined team Latvia in their bid to qualify for the 2014 Olympics.[21] The Latvian team, including Ozoliņš, did indeed qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi (and was named captain), where they upset the Swiss to earn a berth in the quarterfinals, then lost to Canada to finish 8th.
Personal life
Ozoliņš was married to his secondary school schoolmate Sandra for more than 15 years, until May 2010 Ozoliņš submitted an application for divorce.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1990–91 | Dinamo Rīga | Soviet | 44 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1991–92 | Stars Rīga | CIS | 30 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1991–92 | Kansas City Blades | IHL | 34 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 20 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 22 | ||
1992–93 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 37 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1993–94 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 81 | 26 | 38 | 64 | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 8 | ||
1994–95 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 48 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 30 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | ||
1995–96 | San Francisco Spiders | IHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1995–96 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1995–96 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 66 | 13 | 37 | 50 | 50 | 22 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 16 | ||
1996–97 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 80 | 23 | 45 | 68 | 88 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 24 | ||
1997–98 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 66 | 13 | 38 | 51 | 65 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | ||
1998–99 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 39 | 7 | 25 | 32 | 22 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 22 | ||
1999–2000 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 82 | 16 | 36 | 52 | 46 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 20 | ||
2000–01 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 72 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 71 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ||
2001–02 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 46 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2001–02 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 37 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2002–03 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 51 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2002–03 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
|
NHL | 31 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 10 | ||
2003–04 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 36 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2005–06 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 17 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2005–06 | New York Rangers | NHL | 14 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
2006–07 | New York Rangers | NHL | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2007–08 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2007–08 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 39 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2009–10 | Dinamo Rīga
|
KHL | 43 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 109 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 24 | ||
2010–11 | Dinamo Rīga | KHL | 41 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 62 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 12 | ||
2011–12 | Dinamo Rīga | KHL | 50 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 28 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
2012–13 | Atlant Moscow Oblast | KHL | 42 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
2013–14 | Dinamo Rīga | KHL | 48 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 24 | ||
NHL totals | 875 | 167 | 397 | 564 | 638 | 137 | 23 | 67 | 90 | 131 | ||||
KHL totals | 224 | 28 | 89 | 117 | 271 | 36 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 64 |
International
Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1991 | Soviet Union
|
WJC
|
7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
1992 | CIS | WJC | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | |
1998 | Latvia | WC
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
2001 | Latvia | WC | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | |
2002 | Latvia | OG | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
2002 | Latvia | WC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | |
2005 | Latvia | OGQ | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
2006 | Latvia | OG | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
2013 | Latvia | OGQ | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
2014 | Latvia | OG | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
Junior totals | 14 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 10 | |||
Senior totals | 33 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 32 |
Awards, honors and records
Award | Year |
---|---|
IHL | |
Turner Cup | 1992 |
NHL | |
All-Star Game | 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
Stanley Cup (Colorado Avalanche) | 1996 |
First All-Star team | 1997 |
KHL | |
All-Star Game | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 |
First All–Star Team | 2011 |
International | |
World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Silver Medal | 1991 |
World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Gold Medal | 1992 |
Spengler Cup Silver Medal | 2011 |
Spengler Cup All-Star team | 2011 |
IIHF All-Time Latvia Team | 2020 |
Colorado Avalanche records
- Most all-time playoff goals by an Avalanche defenseman – 18
- Most all-time playoff assists by an Avalanche defenseman – 49
- Most all-time playoff points by an Avalanche defenseman – 67
Transactions
- October 26, 1995 – Traded by the San Jose Sharks to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Owen Nolan.
- June 24, 2000 – Traded by the Colorado Avalanche, along with Columbus' 2000 2nd round draft choice, to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Nolan Pratt, Carolina's 2000 1st round draft choice, Carolina's 2nd round draft choice and Philadelphia's 2000 2nd round draft choice.
- July 24, 2000 – Signed a five-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes worth more than $25 million.
- January 16, 2002 – Traded by the Carolina Hurricanes, along with Byron Ritchie, to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Bret Hedican, Kevyn Adams and Tomáš Malec.
- January 30, 2003 – Traded by the Florida Panthers, along with Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in exchange for Pavel Trnka, Matt Cullenand Anaheim's 2003 4th round draft choice.
- March 9, 2006 – Traded by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to the New York Rangers in exchange for New York's 2006 3rd round draft choice.
- November 2, 2007 – Signed a one-year deal for $650,000 with the San Jose Sharks.
- July 13, 2009 – Signed a one-year deal with the Dinamo Riga.
- May 18, 2010 – Extended contract with Dinamo Riga for 2010–11 KHL season.
- April 19, 2011 – Extended contract with Dinamo Riga for 2011–12 KHL season.
- September 24, 2012 – Signed a one-year deal with the Atlant Moscow Oblast.
- May 8, 2013 – Signed a one-year deal with the Dinamo Riga.
- May 27, 2014 - Announced his retirement.
References
- ^ "Jaunākie piešķirtie apbalvojumi" (in Latvian). president.com. April 22, 2014. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
- ^ Cooper, Tony. "Another Big Deal for Sharks/Ozolinsh traded for Avalanche's Nolan," San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, October 27, 1995. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ "Sandis Ozolinsh – Game log – National Hockey League – Players". National Hockey League. August 3, 1972. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ a b "Hurricanes sign star defenceman Sandis Ozoliņš to five-year deal". Canoe.ca. July 24, 2000. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Brehm, Mike (February 2, 2003). "All-Star notes: Traded Ozolinsh finds West is East". USA Today. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "NHL Player Search – Player – Sandis Ozolinsh". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Sandis Ozolinsh – Notes – National Hockey League – Players". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "sportacentrs.com". sportacentrs.com. September 24, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Континентальная Хоккейная Лига – Стартовые составы". Khl.ru. January 15, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ a b "sportacentrs.com". sportacentrs.com. January 12, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Континентальная Хоккейная Лига – Лауреаты сентября". Khl.ru. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Sandim Ozoliņam nopietns savainojums – dinamoriga.lv". Dinamoriga.eu. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Континентальная Хоккейная Лига – Голосование завершено". Khl.ru. January 14, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Kontinental Hockey League – Official Website – Don't miss the stars!". En.khl.ru. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ [1] Archived October 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Atlant sign veteran NHL All-Star Ozolins" (in Russian). Atlant Moscow Oblast. September 24, 2012. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
- ^ "Sandis Ozolins returns to Dinamo Riga" (in Latvian). Dinamo Riga. May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- ^ Merk, Martin (May 29, 2017). "Ozolins leads Dinamo Riga". IIHF. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
- ^ "Sandis Ozolinsh Joins Avalanche Scouting Staff". November 8, 2022.
- ^ DELFI (February 21, 2006). "Pēc neveiksmīgās spēles ar Kazahstānu par aiziešanu no izlases paziņo Ozoliņš un Cipruss". Delfi (web portal). Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ Latvian roster for the Final Olympic Qualification in Riga. (PDF). Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ^ "Sandis Ozoliņš iesniedzis šķiršanās pieteikumu". Kasjauns.lv. May 29, 2010. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Sandis Ozoliņš – populārākais Latvijas sportists internetbalsojumā". Kasjauns.lv. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database, or TSN.ca
- Sandis Ozoliņš KHL player profile
- Sandis Ozoliņš Dinamo Riga player profile
- Ozo Golf Club/ (in English and Latvian)