(CNN) -- Sochi has been preparing for an Olympics invasion -- but perhaps it didn't expect a former Soviet soldier to be leading the charge. At least on this occasion, Sandis Ozolins wasn't armed with a Kalashnikov rifle when he marched into Russia. This time, the 41-year-old skated into Sochi holding the Latvian flag and an ice hockey stick -- not to mention the memories of a Stanley Cup triumph in his bag. Not bad for a man who only realized he'd been given the opportunity of a lifetime to become a star in the glitz and glamor of the National Hockey League while serving in the Soviet army back in 1991.
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Sandis Ozolins carried the Latvian flag at the Sochi Games
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Won 1996 Stanley Cup with Colorado Avalanches
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Played in a total of 875 NHL games, scoring 167 goals
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Will captain the Latvian team at his third Olympic Games
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