Sandis Ozoliņš was born on August 3, 1972. Latvian ice hockey player, defensive player. Considered one of the best hockey players in Latvia. Participated in the game "All Stars" of the National Hockey League seven times, is the owner of the Stanley Cup.
Career start
Sandis Ozoliņš, whose photo can be seen in this article, began his professional career in the championship of the Soviet Union (1990), playing for Dynamo Riga. In the same year, he liked the American club San Jose Sharks and left to play in America.
United States of America
He made his debut with the Sharks already in the 1992/93 season. During the year he played thirty-seven games, earning twenty-three points. On December 30, 1992, in a game against Philadelphia, he suffered a severe knee injury and missed half the season.
The next season 1993/94 Sandis Ozoliņš played eighty-one matches, earning sixty-four points. It was the third most on the team and the first in the entire league in goals scored by defensemen. This result will be the second in the career of Sandis. This season, the Latvian defender helped his team get into the playoffs of the National Hockey League. Resultwas repeated the following season, which was shortened due to the lockout. The Sharks were eliminated in the conference semi-finals in both seasons.
Transfer to Colorado
On October 26, 1995, Sandis Ozoliņš, whose biography is closely connected with sports, was exchanged to the Colorado Avalanche club. In his debut season for the new team, he played sixty-six matches and scored fifty points. The following season was significant for him, as the Colorado team was able to win the Stanley Cup. Ozoliņš himself became a key defender for the team, finishing the current season in ninth place in the league in playoff points.
The following season (1996/97), Colorado won the President's Cup. Ozoliņš finished third in the league with sixty-eight points. This put him in second place in the National Hockey League's top scoring defensemen.
The next three seasons were not outstanding for the team, but the Latvian hockey player himself played at a fairly high level. On December 6, 1999, he scored his debut hat-trick in his career. The 1999-00 season was Sandys' last with Colorado.
Caroline
On June 24, 2000, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he signed a five-year contract worth more than twenty-five million dollars. In the team, Sandis met his friend A. Irbe, they started playing with him at home in Latvia.
Ozoliņš couldn't help Karolina get intoplayoffs, but continued to delight his fans with good performance. On May 4, 2001, playing against Chicago, he repeated the hatt-trick, adding an assist to it. Sandis played a season and a half for Carolina, then he was released to Florida.
Playing as the Panthers
On January 16, 2002, Sandis Ozoliņš, whose career is closely associated with American clubs, began playing for the Florida Panthers. And on the first day he made his debut in the main team. In the new team, he did not get the usual eighth number, which was busy. I had to limit myself to number forty-four. Latvian played thirty-seven games for the club and scored twenty-nine points. But Florida failed to make the playoffs. He played fifty-one matches in the next zone, after which he was sent to Anaheim.
Ducks
On January 30, 2003, Sandis Ozolins moved to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. In this team, he got his favorite "eight" (number). He immediately became a key defender for the club. With his game, he helped the Ducks get to the Stanley Cup final for the first time. There she lost to New Jersey. The next season was a failure, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs. Sandis was plagued with injuries all season and only played thirty-six games.
New York
Ozoliņš played seventeen more games for the Ducks and was given to the New York Rangers club. It happened in March 2006. In this club, he got the twenty-fourth number. In nineteen games, he scored fourteen points, thus managing to help the teammake the playoffs where the New York club hasn't played since 1997
On February 18, 2006, the team was defeated by New Jersey with a crushing score of 1:6. After that, Sandish Ozoliņš ended up in a waiver draft and was sent to the Hartford Wolf Pack. But the Latvian suffered a knee injury and was forced to go to the infirmary.
The Sharks again
On May 2, 2006, Sandis was arrested by police for driving under the influence of alcohol. After treatment for alcohol addiction, he signed a contract with his first American club. In the 2007-2008 season. the hockey player played thirty-nine matches and scored sixteen points. After that, the Latvian decided to take a break and get some rest.
Back to Latvia
On July 13, 2009, Sandis signed a contract with Dynamo Riga. There he was immediately made captain and given his favorite number eight. In the 2009/10 season, the hockey player was a key defender of the team in the Kontinental Hockey League. Played forty-three games and scored twenty-five points. On January 30, he participated in the All-Star game of the CHL. After the end of the 2011-2012 season. he decided to leave Dynamo and moved to the Atlant club near Moscow. The season in the new team was not very successful for him, but Sandis was voted for the club's best player in second place.
The following year, the Latvian returned to Dynamo. On August 21, 2013, he again became the captain of the Riga team andagain began to wear his favorite eighth number. And on the twenty-seventh of May 2014, he decided to end his sports career.
International Ice Hockey Career
Sandis Ozoliņš, a hockey player who made his international debut in 1991. Then he took part in the World Youth Championship. There, his team was able to reach the final, where they lost to the Canadians. In 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the hockey player played for the CIS team. This team was able to take the gold medals of the Youth World Cup.
Then, until 1998, the Latvian did not participate in international matches. The main reasons for this were the playoff games in America and a string of injuries. In 1998, his then-club Colorado were quickly eliminated from the playoffs and Ozolins decided to join the Latvian national team and go with them and make his debut at the highest level.
This World Cup was the second for independent Latvia. At the tournament, the famous hockey player played four matches, scored one goal and scored two assists. The next performance for the national team was for the hockey player in 2001. This time, too, he was lucky, his Carolina club quickly flew out of the Stanley Cup. At this championship, the team was able to take only thirteenth place.
In 2002, Sandis Ozolins played at the World Cup and even played one match at the Olympics against the Slovak team. Sandis scored four goals and thus helped his team to a draw 6:6.
Three years later, with the help of Ozoliņš, Latvia was able to get to the 2006 Olympics. After that, the hockey player announced that he was finishing hisperformances for the national team.
Before the 2011 World Cup, he became the general manager of the Latvian national team. However, after the tournament, the coaching staff of the national team was removed in full force. And in 2014, Sandis decided to return to the national team, became its captain and was the flag bearer at the Olympic Games in Sochi.
Personal life of the famous hockey player
Sandis Ozoliņš, whose wife was his girlfriend since school, has been married for fifteen years. In May 2010, they filed for divorce. The hockey player has two children - Christopher and Roberts. Now he is dating TV presenter A. Lieckalnynia.
Sandis Ozoliņš: achievements of the hockey player
- Stanley Cup winner with Colorado (1996).
- Stanley Cup finalist with Anaheim (2003).
- NHL All-Star (seven games): 1994/1997/1998/2000/2001/2002/2003
- KHL All-Star Game (four matches): 2010/2011/2012/2014
- President's Cup Winner (1997).
- Golden Helmet Winner (2011).
- World Youth Championship (1991).
- National team flag bearer at the 2014 Sochi Olympics
