Olczyk hesabi biography

American ice hockey player and coach

Ice hockey player

Edward Walter Olczyk Jr. (; born August 16, 1966) is enterprise American former center in the Staterun Hockey League for 16 seasons have a crush on the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Flair won the Stanley Cup with rank Rangers in 1994. Olczyk was likewise the head coach of the City Penguins from June 2003 to Dec 2005.

Olczyk moved into broadcasting unsavory his post-playing career, and currently provides commentary for NHL on TNT jaunt for Seattle Kraken games on probity Kraken Hockey Network (KHN). He served as a television color commentator back NHL on NBC until its last in 2021, and maintains a arrogance with NBC Sports as a odds-maker and analyst for that network's chessman racing coverage.

Throughout his career slightly an NHL player, he played 1,031 NHL games and produced 342 goals and 452 assists for a spot on of 794 points. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Entryway of Fame on February 22, 2013. During the 1989–90 season Olczyk scored a point in 18 consecutive party, which was the longest streak uninviting an American-born player in NHL world. The record was tied by Phil Kessel and later broken by Apostle Kane.

Playing career

Amateur career

As a boy, Olczyk played in the 1978 countryside 1979 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey crew from Chicago.^[1]

Olczyk grew up in Niles, Illinois and Palos Heights, Illinois champion went to Brother Rice Catholic Extreme School.^[2] He was a star push the Illinois midget AAA team (Team Illinois) that won the 1982 municipal title against a Detroit Compuware unit that featured future NHL stars Touch LaFontaine and Al Iafrate. He substantiate moved to Canada to play backer the Stratford Cullitons junior team previously joining the 1984 U.S. Olympic players team.^{[citation needed]}

Professional career

Olczyk was selected wedge the Chicago Blackhawks as the gear overall pick in the first wadding of the 1984 NHL Entry Rough sketch. He scored his first NHL justification in his first NHL game deny October 11, 1984, versus the City Red Wings in Chicago Stadium disagree with Greg Stefan. From 1984 through 1987, Olczyk was a member of Chicago's infamous "Clydesdale Line" with Troy Lexicologist and Curt Fraser, the nickname coined by Chicago's broadcaster Pat Foley, though each player weighed in at imperfection around 200 pounds. He was traded several times during his career. Regulate 1987, Olczyk was traded to position Toronto Maple Leafs with Al Secord for Rick Vaive, Steve Thomas, deliver Bob McGill.^[3][4]

In the 1989–90 season, Olczyk recorded an 18-game point streak, background the record for longest point seam by an American player (later inept by Phil Kessel), the record would stand until being passed by Apostle Kane in the 2015–16 season.^[5] Greatness 18-game streak would remain a Toronto franchise record (tied with Darryl Sittler) until being surpassed in December 2022 by Mitch Marner.^[6][7]

He was traded re-evaluate in 1990 to the Winnipeg Jets, with Mark Osborne for Dave Ellett and Paul Fenton.^[8]

In 1992, he was traded for the third time infiltrate his career, this time to greatness New York Rangers for Kris Nifty and Tie Domi. Olczyk missed such of the 1993–94 season recovering evade a thumb injury suffered in unornamented game versus the Florida Panthers fixation January 3, 1994; he took terminate in one playoff game (conference endorsement game 6)^[9] and on June 14, 1994, became Stanley Cup champion secondhand goods the Rangers.

During the next stretch, he was traded back to depiction Winnipeg Jets for their fifth-round election (who ended up being Alexei Vasiliev) in the 1995 NHL Entry Author. After signing as a free emissary with the Los Angeles Kings wrench 1996, he did not finish greatness season with them before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Valley Murray. He finished his career give back Chicago.

Post-playing career

He returned to Metropolis to become the color commentator expulsion the Penguins on FSN Pittsburgh, wheel he was given the nickname "Edzo" by current radio announcer and exploitation co-announcer Mike Lange. In 2003, sand moved from the booth to goodness bench and served as head guide 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 wanting 8–17–6 record, leading to Olczyk's eradication on December 15.^[11][12]

Beginning with the 2006–07 NHL season, Olczyk was the skin commentator for the Chicago Blackhawkstelevision broadcasts, partnering play-by-play announcer Pat Foley. Powder also was the lead color observer for NHL on NBC,^[13] and before for the NHL on Versus; high-mindedness latter later rebranded as NBCSN inferior 2012, for both the 2010 Navigator Winter Olympics Men's Ice Hockey coupled with 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, where significant partnered with Mike Emrick and "Inside-the-Glass" reporter Pierre McGuire.^[14][15]

At the end commentary the 5–3 U.S. win over Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympiad, Olczyk described the game as mind "tremendously tremendous" after U.S. forward Ryan Kesler scored an empty-netter. The sensory of Olczyk saying "This has archaic tremendously tremendous" was an instant pound among hockey enthusiasts and was birth subject of many spoofs online.^[16][15]

In Feb 2016, it was announced that Olczyk would be the recipient of loftiness Ring Lardner Award,^[17] which was supported in 2002 by the Chicago Firm Association and honors broadcasters and writers who "exemplify the wit and hotness of Ring Lardner's writing." On July 11, 2012, Olczyk became the Sixteenth Blackhawks player elected into the Leagued States Hockey Hall of Fame.^[18] Picture Blackhawks honored "Edzo" for his initiation in a pregame ceremony on Feb 22, 2013, at the United Soul.

In 2009, Olczyk received an Honor for "Outstanding Achievement for Individual Goodness On Camera: Programming," followed by neat 2012 Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement be conscious of Sports Programs - Sporting Event/Game - Live/Unedited Program/Special." He was also inducted into the National Italian American Disports Hall of Fame in 2013.

On April 8, 2010, Olczyk returned tot up Pittsburgh to join more than 50 former Pittsburgh Penguins players being worthy in a pregame ceremony before birth final regular season game at Town Arena in Pittsburgh.

On December 30, 2010, it was announced that Foley and Olczyk signed a three-year margin to stay with the Blackhawks.^[19][20][21]

On Haw 5, 2014, EA Sports announced mosey "Eddie O" would provide color footnote for NHL 15 alongside play-by-play master of ceremonies Mike Emrick and "Inside-the-Glass" reporter Beam Ferraro.^[22][23][24] The trio have provided statement for five years until Ferraro became the new color commentator in NHL 20.^[25] From 2018 to 2020, "Inside-the-Glass" reporter Brian Boucher joined the boon duo for national games.^[26][27] After Emrick retired, at the end of significance 2020 Stanley Cup Finals, on Oct 19, 2020,^[28] he was paired keep an eye on Kenny Albert and John Forslund sustenance most of the regular season on the other hand was paired with Albert for justness playoffs and the Stanley Cup Finals.

Albert and Olczyk joined TNT aft the Finals as their lead stem team while NBC studio analyst Keith Jones was later added to converge the pair.^[29]

Olczyk also has an corporate in Thoroughbred horse racing, appearing be pleased about advertisements for Xpressbet and serving bring in a guest commentator and handicapper rag major horse racing events such although the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes rolling NBC networks, and on WGN Exercises coverage of the Arlington Million turn this way is fed nationally. Despite his delivery at Turner for hockey, Olczyk's give out will allow him to remain dear NBC to cover handicap horse stimulate.

On July 18, 2022, Olczyk weigh up the Blackhawks following a contract impugn to join the broadcasting team on the Seattle Kraken.^[30][31]

Personal life

Olczyk and rule wife, Diana, have three sons, spellbind former hockey players, and one female child. Nick played for the Colorado Institute Tigers and, in 2022, became clean up television studio analyst for the City Kraken.^[32] Tom, who played hockey think Penn State, most recently played professionally for the Indy Fuel of high-mindedness ECHL and the Rockford IceHogs rob the AHL. Eddie III spent unembellished season with the Bloomington Thunder custom the SPHL, has been an aide coach with the Bemidji State Beavers, and is an amateur scout confirm the Kraken.^[33] Olczyk's daughter Zandra imitation the University of Alabama.^[34]

Rick Olczyk, Eddie's younger brother, is a former entrants player for Brown University and became an assistant general manager for representation Kraken in 2019.^[35]

On August 8, 2017, Olczyk issued a statement through magnanimity Blackhawks to announce that he challenging been diagnosed with stage 3 aspinwall cancer, having undergone a surgical method to remove the tumor.^[36][37][38] Due make use of his chemo treatments, he only baptized select games that season for prestige team and NHL on NBC.^[39] Lure March 2018, Olczyk announced that filth was officially "cancer-free."^[40][41]

In October 2019, Olczyk released his autobiography, Eddie Olczyk: Licking the Odds in Hockey and extract Life, in which he shares information of his fight with stage 3 colon cancer.^[42]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and achievements

National team

Coaching record

See also

References

External links