GOTTA SEE IT: Kuemper Pays Tribute To Kolzig With Reverse Retro Mask

WASHINGTON — When the Washington Capitals take the ice in their Reverse Retro gear for a tilt with the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday, Darcy Kuemper will be paying tribute to one of the greatest goaltenders in franchise history with his new goalie mask: Olaf Kolzig.

Kuemper’s new mask honors Kolzig, nicknamed “Godzilla.” The mask features Godzilla breathing fire across the mask, which also has stars, his 35 on the chin and the team’s vintage copper, black and blue color scheme. The Capitals posted a picture of the new mask, designed by DaveArt, on social media.

Kolzig himself was a fan of the design and shouted out Kuemper for the tribute.

“Soo cool. Thanks for the tribute Darcy Kuemper!” Kolzig wrote on Twitter.

Darcy's mask homage to Olie tonight is literal Godzilla breathing fire levels of perfection 🔥🦖 pic.twitter.com/yCBFgPB4VO

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 5, 2022

Kuemper will start against the Coyotes on Saturday. Along with the jersey and mask, Kuemper will wear his copper, blue and black goalie pads, gloves and blocker.

“It’s fun for everybody. It gives the fans exciting games when guys are in different jerseys. For the players, especially the goalies, we got to design new gear and new helmets and stuff like that,” Kuemper said.

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Charlie Lindgren’s gear also came in on Saturday. It’s an all-black set featuring his signature icebergs and homage to the District. He gave us an in-depth look at his gear and mask.

Through nine games this season, Kuemper has a .922 save percentage.