Before the great Cale Makar wore No. 8, there was another No. 8 who was pretty great.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the 1996 Stanley Cup-winning Avalanche team being honored Dec. 11, the current No. 8 showed some respect to the man who came before him. Game respects game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just met Sandis Ozolinsh really quick there,\u201d Makar said. \u201cThat was pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the likes of Makar, Erik Karlsson, Roman Josi and Quinn Hughes took over as defensemen who were serious threats on the rush, there was the man known in Colorado as \u201cOzo.\u201d One of the missing pieces acquired by Pierre Lacroix during the 1995-96 season that helped the Avalanche go all the way, Ozolinsh was a weapon that very few teams had. When the opposition was keying in on the highly skilled forwards the Avalanche possessed, Ozolinsh would appear out of nowhere and create an outnumbered situation.<\/p>\n
In a way, a lot of the defensemen you see in the NHL today have some Ozo in them, although he doesn\u2019t seek credit for paving the way for this generation of blue liners.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, no. The league changed, the times changed. The league is more entertaining,\u201d Ozolinsh told The Denver Gazette. \u201cIt\u2019s more offensive with all the rule changes, the encouragements for players to join the attack and score goals and make it more excited for people to watch in the arenas (and) on TV. So, no, it\u2019s just the way the game develops.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP99120701581-902x1024.jpg\")
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, front left, celebrates with teammates Jon Klemm, front center, and Stephane Yelle, after Ozolinsh scored his third goal of the game against the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 6, 1999, in Colorado\u2019s 5-2 victory in Denver\u2019s Pepsi Center. Canucks defensman Zenith Komarniski, back, turns away from the celebration. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n
Yes, he has a little FOMO.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I would have played in these times, right?\u201d he joked. \u201cIt would have been more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 53-year-old Ozolinsh has never left the game he loves. His last season on the ice ended in 2014. Almost immediately after he was done playing, he stepped behind the bench, coaching in the Russian-centered KHL for six seasons. From 2022 to 2025, he was a scout for the Avalanche, stepping away this season from his duties.<\/p>\n
Because he never really left the game, he\u2019s been able to watch the next generation of defensemen develop up close. There\u2019s an appreciation for the way the game is played now because it\u2019s how he played.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to skate, you\u2019ve got to join the attack,\u201d he said of the modern NHL defenseman.<\/p>\n
There is one guy who stands above the rest, though.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the man who is wearing the same number Ozolinsh wore from 1995 to 2000 in Colorado and the only defenseman in Avalanche history to have a higher points-per-game average while wearing the burgundy and blue.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s one of those players that changes the game. There are not many,\u201d Ozolinsh said of Makar. \u201cBobby Orr changed the game. Wayne Gretzky changed the game. (Makar) is one of those players that really changes the game, how it\u2019s going to be played for the next decade or two. All the coaches now that are coaching kids, they want them to skate like Makar, play like Makar because that\u2019s what\u2019s valuable. He is a game changer.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25344170008498-1024x683.jpg\")
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) skates the puck past Nashville Predators center Ryan O\u2019Reilly (90) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo\/George Walker IV)<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are stars, superstars, and then there are game changers. He\u2019s one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
For different reasons, Ozolinsh has an appreciation for another Avalanche defenseman.<\/p>\n
Ozolinsh himself was a rare bread. While he played his last NHL game at the age of 36, that wasn\u2019t the end of his playing career. He moved over to the KHL and continued playing for another five years, captaining Team Latvia at the age of 41 at the 2014 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n
Does he love seeing Brent Burns continue to excel in the NHL at the age of 40? You betcha.<\/p>\n
\u201cFantastic. Just fantastic,\u201d Ozolinsh said. \u201cThe more you can live your dream, the better it is for everybody. The longer you can prolong it and be active and be successful and be productive and be part of the team and this game, hats off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ozolinsh is getting back into coaching. He\u2019ll be an assistant coach for Latvia at the Olympic Games in February, 12 years after he last played for his home country. You\u2019ll never guess his specialty.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s ironic, maybe, but I\u2019m a defensive specialist. No, I\u2019m serious,\u201d Ozolinsh said.<\/p>\n
No one would have mistaken Ozolinsh as a defensive stalwart during his playing days. Most nights, he looked like a fourth forward on the ice, which is part of what made defending the Avalanche so difficult.<\/p>\n
And also what gave some of his coaches a few more gray hairs.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25347825562609-1024x685.jpg\")
Peter Forsberg waves to the crowd as he is introduced during a ceremony to honor members from the 1996 Stanley Cup Championship team of the Colorado Avalanche before an NHL game against the Florida Panthers Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a forward until I was 16,\u201d Ozolinsh said. \u201cI had some really, really great coaches. My first year in Colorado was Joel Quenneville. I remember he was trying to explain to me the defensive side, and I still cannot comprehend why I didn\u2019t understand it. It\u2019s so easy to understand right now standing right here, but at the time \u2014 (at) 22, 23 years old \u2014 I don\u2019t understand how I didn\u2019t understand it, how I couldn\u2019t pick it up and do what they wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
That perspective, one that comes with age, has helped him now that he\u2019s behind the bench.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my path. That\u2019s how I develop into a person,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe I can understand those kids better. It\u2019s not as easy as it seems from this side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ozolinsh at first was not sure about coaching. He didn\u2019t think he was going to like it. It\u2019s not for everyone, and a lot of high-end players seem to prefer the management side as opposed to stepping behind the bench when their playing days are done.<\/p>\n
Then, after taking a few \u201cbumps and bruises\u201d while learning on the job, he found his love for being behind the bench.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I understood that I have to learn about the game from a different perspective, I really enjoyed it,\u201d he said. \u201cI really enjoyed learning the game and then giving to somebody who\u2019s young and teaching them. I think the most satisfying part was seeing the kids pick it up, doing it and succeeding, and doing better than they thought they could do. I really enjoy it because (of) the progressions you see in the players, the development and the long-term commitment. You see the sparks in the kids\u2019 eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP96051301754-999x1024.jpg\")
The Colorado Avalanche\u2019s Sandis Ozolinsh (8) shoots the puck at Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ed Belfour as Gary Suter (20) defends during the second overtime period of Monday\u2019s playoff game, May 13, 1996, in Chicago. Ozolinsh went on to score the game-winning goal on the rebound as the Avalanche beat the Blackhawks 4-3 to win the series 4-2. (AP Photo\/Michael S. Green)<\/p>\n
Only Makar has more power-play goals among defensemen in an Avalanche uniform than Ozolinsh. As a power-play specialist, he knew how to read a penalty kill.<\/p>\n
Maybe that\u2019s why coaching the penalty kill has become his specialty.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know the spots you don\u2019t want the penalty kill to pressure,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n
Back in town celebrating that 1996 Stanley Cup win, Ozolinsh and 16 other members of that Avalanche team got together to reminisce. Nearly 30 years ago, they brought Denver its first major professional sports championship.<\/p>\n
Many of them haven\u2019t been in the same room since then. That\u2019s what made last week so special.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo wonderful to come back and see the guys,\u201d Ozolinsh said. \u201cWe achieved something that every child, every kid that starts playing hockey dreams of achieving. It\u2019s wonderful to come back and remember that, to share the memories that some of us have forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n
One thing he hasn\u2019t forgotten is his first instinct joining a team with the likes of Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Valeri Kamensky and Claude Lemieux.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust get open,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n
He was pretty good at that.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/fe5f77129a3bd7670ce36a3c9e919c82.jpg\")
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, left, is congratulated by defenseman Adam Foote after Ozolinsh scored his second goal in the first period in the first game of an NHL first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Coyotes in Denver\u2019s Pepsi Center on Thursday, April 13, 2000. (AP Photo\/Bryan Kelsen)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Before the great Cale Makar wore No. 8, there was another No. 8 who was pretty great. Ahead…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":353501,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-353500","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-nhl","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}