Sandis Ozoliņš is a Leader in Dinamo Riga's Team

He’s the ultimate Latvian hockey superstar: Sandis Ozoliņš. His achievements are impressive: 654 scorer points in 1012 NHL games, seven NHL All Star Games, 2 KHL All Star Games, 2 Olympic Games with the Latvian national team, 1 Stanley Cup win, several NHL franchise records and both a silver and a gold medal at World Junior Championships with the former Soviet Union.

But as is typical for a real rock star, Ozoliņš's career also had its dark sides: To fight his excessive alcohol consumption, he took part in rehabilitation programs organized by the NHL and the NHL’s Players’ Association more than once. His performances were world class in one game, and absolutely inacceptable the very next. Due to his drive into the offensive zone and his constant search for goal scoring opportunities, he repeatedly neglected his job on the defensive side, something that often drove his coaches to the brink of despair.

Dazzling Personality and Record Breaker

There really are two sides to his story: On the one hand, Ozoliņš missed practice, refused to play for teams in lower leagues, suffered injuries and had drinking problems. On the other hand, he convinced both fans and coaches with record-breaking performances and reached marks that have not been equaled by any other player until today. He holds the franchise record with the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche as the defender who scored the most points within one season. Unsurprisingly, he’s the most successful Latvian NHL player of all time.

But his dazzling career seemed to be at an end in 2008, when the San Jose Sharks didn’t count on the Latvian defender anymore and let his contract run out. A circle seemed to have been closed, since Ozoliņš had started his NHL adventure with this very club from California back in 1992.

Comeback with Original Club

After a break of one year, Ozoliņš surprised everyone with the announcement that he would be getting back onto the ice. He got a contract with Dinamo Riga, the club where he once learned how to play hockey and which is now part of the KHL. During the first two seasons back in his home country, the Latvian hockey legend scored a respectable 67 scorer points in 101 games. And during the first games of the current season, Ozoliņš has already scored eight goals and six assists.

This year, at the age of 39, the extraordinary Latvian player is participating in the Spengler Cup for the first time ever. But he doesn’t consider the trip to Davos a holiday. “There can only be one goal – victory” he says. Ozoliņš is looking forward to be playing against the other participants from different leagues: “Now we can compare the hockey played in Switzerland with the KHL.''

Premiere in Davos

Although Ozoliņš has seen a lot of the world, he’s never been to Davos before. “But I played at the World Championships in Switzerland in 1998,” says the Dinamo defender. And he still remembers Latvia’s final ranking: “We finished the World Championships in 9th place.”

Ozoliņš doesn’t know yet what he’ll be doing after his professional hockey career. But he’s aware that his time is slowly running out. "Of course, I’ll analyze my situation after the end of this season and see whether I’ll continue,“ says the almost 40-year-old hockey veteran.

Will he top off the late autumn of his career with a win at the Spengler Cup?