Bolts Lose Goalie Kolzig For Season

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Olie Kolzig will miss the remainder of the season, the team announced on Wednesday before departing for Carolina.

Kolzig is scheduled to undergo surgery on Saturday to repair a ruptured biceps tendon in his left arm. The procedure will be done by Dr. Ben Shaffer in Washington, D.C., who has operated on Kolzig in the past.

Kolzig said he first felt something was wrong during a practice on Dec. 17 when his catching hand went numb following a shot and then on a successive shot, the arm torqued causing him pain.

A first MRI performed on the arm revealed a slight strain, leading to extensive rehab in order to try to heal the injury. But a handful of setbacks, the most recent during the morning skate on Jan. 21, led to a second MRI which revealed a larger than 50 percent tear, considered to be a rupture according to Lightning team trainer Tom Mulligan.

Kolzig will begin rehab on the injury in about six weeks and the timetable for a full recovery is about 2-3 months, Mulligan said.

Before signing with Tampa Bay in July after spending his entire career with the Washington Capitals, Kolzig said he contemplated retirement. He's having those same thoughts now.

"After I get through the recovery, I'll see where I am in June and July and sit down and talk it over with my family," the 37-year-old netminder said. "Last year I underwent hip surgery and that whole process, but the further I got away from the game the more I felt I had to give to the game."

Kolzig intends to return to Tampa immediately after the surgery and said he was encouraged by head coach Rick Tocchet to remain around the team for the remainder of the season.

In eight games this season, the former Vezina Trophy winner has a 2-4-1 record with a 3.66 goals against average and .898 save percentage, but he has not played since picking up a victory in Montreal on Dec. 13.