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| Eddie Olczyk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Olczyk in 2010 | |||
| Born | (1966-08-16)August 16, 1966 (age 58) Chicago,Illinois, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Chicago Blackhawks Toronto Maple Leafs Winnipeg Jets New York Rangers Los Angeles Kings Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | 3rd overall,1984 Chicago Black Hawks | ||
| Playing career | 1984–2000 | ||
Edward Walter Olczyk Jr. (/ˈoʊltʃɪk/; born August 16, 1966) is an Americansportscaster and former professionalice hockey player. He spent 16 seasons in theNational Hockey League (NHL), playing as acenter for theChicago Blackhawks,Toronto Maple Leafs,Winnipeg Jets,New York Rangers,Los Angeles Kings, andPittsburgh Penguins. He won theStanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994. Olczyk was also the head coach of the Penguins from June 2003 to December 2005.
Olczyk moved into broadcasting in his post-playing career, and currently provides commentary forNHL on TNT and forSeattle Kraken games on the Kraken Hockey Network (KHN). He served as a televisioncolor commentator forNHL on NBC until its end in 2021, and maintains a relationship withNBC Sports as ahandicapper and analyst for that network'shorse racing coverage.
Throughout his career as an NHL player, he played 1,031 NHL games and produced 342 goals and 452 assists for a total of 794 points. He was inducted into theUnited States Hockey Hall of Fame on February 22, 2013. During the 1989–90 season Olczyk scored a point in 18 consecutive games, which was the longest streak by an American-born player in NHL history. The record was tied byPhil Kessel and later broken byPatrick Kane.
As a youth, Olczyk played in the 1978 and 1979Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with aminor ice hockey team fromChicago.[1]
Olczyk grew up inNiles, Illinois andPalos Heights, Illinois and went toBrother Rice Catholic High School.[2] He was a star on theIllinois midget AAA team (Team Illinois) that won the 1982 national title against aDetroit Compuware squad that featured future NHL starsPat LaFontaine andAl Iafrate. He then moved to Canada to play for theStratford Cullitons junior team before joining the1984 U.S.Olympic hockey team.[citation needed]
Olczyk was selected by theChicago Blackhawks as the third overall pick in the first round of the1984 NHL Entry Draft. He scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game on October 11, 1984, versus theDetroit Red Wings inChicago Stadium againstGreg Stefan. From 1984 through 1987, Olczyk was a member of Chicago's infamous "Clydesdale Line" withTroy Murray andCurt Fraser, the nickname coined by Chicago's broadcasterPat Foley, as each player weighed in at or around 200 pounds. He was traded several times during his career. In 1987, Olczyk was traded to theToronto Maple Leafs withAl Secord forRick Vaive,Steve Thomas, andBob McGill.[3][4]
In the1989–90 season, Olczyk recorded an 18-game point streak, setting the record for longest point streak by an American player (later tied byPhil Kessel), the record would stand until being passed byPatrick Kane in the2015–16 season.[5] The 18-game streak would remain a Toronto franchise record (tied withDarryl Sittler) until being surpassed in December 2022 byMitch Marner.[6][7]
He was traded again in 1990 to theWinnipeg Jets, withMark Osborne forDave Ellett andPaul Fenton.[8]
In 1992, he was traded for the third time in his career, this time to theNew York Rangers forKris King andTie Domi. Olczyk missed much of the 1993–94 season recovering from a thumb injury suffered in a game versus theFlorida Panthers on January 3, 1994; he took part in one playoff game (conference final game 6)[9] and on June 14, 1994, becameStanley Cup champion with the Rangers.
During the next season, he was traded back to the Winnipeg Jets for their fifth-round choice (who ended up beingAlexei Vasiliev) in the1995 NHL Entry Draft. After signing as afree agent with theLos Angeles Kings in 1996, he did not finish the season with them before being traded to thePittsburgh Penguins forGlen Murray. He finished his career in Chicago.
He returned to Pittsburgh to become the color commentator for the Penguins onFSN Pittsburgh, where he was given the nickname "Edzo" by current radio announcer and then co-announcerMike Lange. In 2003, he moved from the booth to the bench and served as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins from June 11, 2003, until December 15, 2005.[10] Despite adding marquee free-agents, the Penguins started the season with a disappointing 8–17–6 record, leading to Olczyk's dismissal on December 15.[11][12]
Beginning with the2006–07 NHL season, Olczyk was the color commentator for theChicago Blackhawkstelevision broadcasts, partneringplay-by-play announcerPat Foley. He also was the lead color commentator forNHL on NBC,[13] and previously for theNHL on Versus; the latter later rebranded asNBCSN in 2012, for both the2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Men's Ice Hockey and2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, where he partnered withMike Emrick and "Inside-the-Glass" reporterPierre McGuire.[14][15]
At the end of the 5–3 U.S. win over Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Olczyk described the game as being "tremendously tremendous" after U.S. forwardRyan Kesler scored an empty-netter. The audio of Olczyk saying "This has been tremendously tremendous" was an instant hit among hockey enthusiasts and was the subject of many spoofs online.[16][15]
In February 2016, it was announced that Olczyk would be the recipient of the Ring Lardner Award,[17] which was founded in 2002 by the Chicago Athletic Association and honors broadcasters and writers who "exemplify the wit and warmth of Ring Lardner's writing." On July 11, 2012, Olczyk became the 16th Blackhawks player elected into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.[18] The Blackhawks honored "Edzo" for his induction in a pregame ceremony on February 22, 2013, at the United Center.
In 2009, Olczyk received an Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement for Individual Excellence On Camera: Programming," followed by a 2012 Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement for Sports Programs - Sporting Event/Game - Live/Unedited Program/Special." He was also inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
On April 8, 2010, Olczyk returned to Pittsburgh to join more than 50 formerPittsburgh Penguins players being honored in a pregame ceremony before the final regular season game atCivic Arena in Pittsburgh.
On December 30, 2010, it was announced that Foley and Olczyk signed a three-year extension to stay with the Blackhawks.[19][20][21]
On May 5, 2014,EA Sports announced that "Eddie O" would provide color commentary forNHL 15 alongside play-by-play announcerMike Emrick and "Inside-the-Glass" reporterRay Ferraro.[22][23][24] The trio have provided commentary for five years until Ferraro became the new color commentator inNHL 20.[25] From2018 to2020, "Inside-the-Glass" reporterBrian Boucher joined the lead duo for national games.[26][27] After Emrick retired, at the end of the2020 Stanley Cup Finals, on October 19, 2020,[28] he was paired withKenny Albert andJohn Forslund for most of the regular season but was paired with Albert for theplayoffs and theStanley Cup Finals.
Albert and Olczyk joinedTNT after the Finals as their lead broadcast team while NBC studio analystKeith Jones was later added to join the pair.[29]
Olczyk also has an interest inThoroughbred horse racing, appearing in advertisements forXpressbet and serving as a guest commentator and handicapper for major horse racing events such as theKentucky Derby,Kentucky Oaks,Preakness Stakes, and theBelmont Stakes onNBC networks, and onWGN Sports coverage of theArlington Million that is fed nationally. Olczyk's deal with TNT allows him to remain at NBC for horse racing.
On July 18, 2022, Olczyk left the Blackhawks following a contract dispute to join the broadcasting team for theSeattle Kraken.[30][31]
Olczyk and his wife, Diana, have three sons, all former hockey players, and one daughter.Nick played for theColorado College Tigers and, in 2022, became a television studio analyst for theSeattle Kraken.[32] Tom, who playedhockey at Penn State, most recently played professionally for theIndy Fuel of theECHL and theRockford IceHogs of theAHL. Eddie III spent a season with theBloomington Thunder of theSPHL, has been an assistant coach with theBemidji State Beavers, and is an amateur scout for the Kraken.[33] Olczyk's daughter Zandra attended theUniversity of Alabama.[34]
Rick Olczyk, Eddie's younger brother, is a former hockey player for Brown University and became an assistant general manager for the Kraken in 2019.[35]
On August 8, 2017, Olczyk issued a statement through the Blackhawks to announce that he had been diagnosed with stage 3colon cancer, having undergone a surgical procedure to remove the tumor.[36][37][38] Due to his chemo treatments, he only called select gamesthat season for the team and NHL on NBC.[39] In March 2018, Olczyk announced that he was officially "cancer-free."[40][41]
In October 2019, Olczyk released his autobiography,Eddie Olczyk: Beating the Odds in Hockey and in Life, in which he shares details of his fight with stage 3 colon cancer.[42]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1982–83 | Stratford Cullitons | MWJHL | 42 | 50 | 92 | 142 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | United States | Intl | 62 | 21 | 47 | 68 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 67 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 11 | ||
| 1985–86 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 79 | 29 | 50 | 79 | 47 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1986–87 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 79 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 119 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1987–88 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 80 | 42 | 33 | 75 | 55 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 1988–89 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 80 | 38 | 52 | 90 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 79 | 32 | 56 | 88 | 78 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1990–91 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 18 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 61 | 26 | 31 | 57 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 64 | 32 | 33 | 65 | 67 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1992–93 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 25 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | New York Rangers | NHL | 46 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | New York Rangers | NHL | 37 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1994–95 | New York Rangers | NHL | 20 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 13 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 51 | 27 | 22 | 49 | 65 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1996–97 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 67 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 12 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 1997–98 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 56 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 35 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1998–99 | Chicago Wolves | IHL | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 61 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 33 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1,031 | 342 | 452 | 794 | 874 | 57 | 19 | 15 | 34 | 57 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | United States | OG | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1984 | United States | CC | 6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | |
| 1985 | United States | WC | 6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | |
| 1986 | United States | WC | 7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 | |
| 1987 | United States | WC | 10 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | |
| 1987 | United States | CC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1989 | United States | WC | 10 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | |
| 1991 | United States | CC | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1993 | United States | WC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 | |
| Senior totals | 64 | 18 | 34 | 52 | 68 | |||
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | W | L | Win% | Result | ||
| PIT | 2003–04 | 82 | 23 | 47 | 8 | 4 | 58 | 5th inAtlantic | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| PIT | 2004–05 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Season not played due toNHL lockout |
| PIT | 2005–06 | 31 | 8 | 17 | — | 6 | 24 | (fired) | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 113 | 31 | 64 | 8 | 10 | 82 | — | — | — | — | ||
| Preceded by | Chicago Black Hawks first round draft pick 1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins 2003–2005 | Succeeded by |
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