The Team | NBC's Olczyk Dishes on USHL, Career in Hockey | ||||
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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Eddie Olczyk has seen the sport of hockey from just about every possible angle. He’s been the young prodigy, selected third overall in the 1984 National Hockey League Entry Draft by his hometown Chicago Blackhawks, behind only Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux at No. 1 and perennial NHL All-Star Kirk Muller at No. 2.
He’s been the reliably productive veteran, skating 16 seasons in the NHL with six franchises and finishing his playing career with 342 goals and 794 points in 1,031 games.
 He’s been the man behind the bench, serving as head coach of the Penguins for parts of two seasons and getting the opportunity to send Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury and former draft-mate Lemieux over the boards for the Black and Gold.
He currently serves as the color commentator on the Blackhawks’ local TV broadcasts as well as lead analyst for NBC’s nationwide coverage of the NHL. He also spends considerable time in the Versus network studio and on the cable channel’s game broadcasts.
Considering Olczyk’s vast array of experiences in the game, you’d expect him to take great care when it comes to the development of his hockey-playing sons.
That’s why he and his boys chose the United States Hockey League.
“(The USHL) is a great league and a great stepping stone,” said Olczyk, whose oldest son Eddie played three seasons in the USHL before advancing to the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and whose middle son Tom is a forward for the Sioux City (Iowa) Musketeers.
“The big picture of the league is preparing for the next level and I think if you have the opportunity to play in the USHL you should take it. It’s a great brand of hockey and I believe in it.”
What sold Olczyk on the merits of the 31-year-old Tier I league was its intense focus on developing young men both on and off the ice.
“Hockey-wise, the idea of teaching takes the forefront,” he said. “It’s about playing without the puck, enduring a grinding pro-style schedule and maturing because you’re playing against men.”
“But what the league doesn’t get enough credit for is that these players and teams become part of the community. If you look at the percentages, very few make it to the very top of the pyramid, so developing them as people is just as important as their growth as players.”
While watching his boys compete in the USHL, Olczyk can’t help but look back on his junior days and marvel at how much the state of the game has changed – at all levels of play.
“Just like in the NHL, the younger players are getting bigger and faster every year and the talent pool has grown so much,” said Olczyk. “At one time the USHL was strictly a Midwestern league, but now you see players come to the league from all over the nation. It’s certainly a better quality of play than when I played junior hockey, and because of that the players get more exposure from scouts and college coaches.”
Although Olczyk is currently living in his native Chicagoland and has gained national recognition mainly for his work alongside play-by-play man Mike “Doc” Emrick on NBC, the 43-year-old is known by local hockey fans for his time spent in Pittsburgh.
Following a brief stint as a Penguin near the end of his playing career, Olczyk broke into TV broadcasting with the FSN Pittsburgh crew for the 2000-01 season, teaming up with Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Lange during a special time in franchise history – Lemieux’s return to the ice after a 3 1/2-year retirement.
 “I got the chance to broadcast Mario’s comeback game and the (team’s) great run to the Eastern Conference Final,” Olczyk said. “It’s a special place in the ‘Burgh; a great place to raise a family. Pittsburgh’s always had passionate sports fans but it’s amazing how much the city has grown as a hockey market.”He continued: “It was a privilege to work with Mike in the booth and be a part of an organization of such quality. I was lucky enough to play with guys like Lemieux and (Ron) Francis, but I found out they’re even better people than they are players. It’s about the people, guys like (former Penguins general manager and coach) Eddie Johnston, (former GM) Craig Patrick, the PR staff.”
The man known as “Edzo” didn’t get the chance to see the Penguins’ rebuilding process through to its championship conclusion this past June, but his perspective from being intimately involved in a franchise reboot at the ground floor gives him faith that his Blackhawks are on a similar track.
“The hope and belief is back in Chicago,” he said. “The ‘Hawks have become relevant again. They were the biggest team in town in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, but they’ve recaptured the city. The local rinks are starting to fill up with young players learning the game, you see kids wearing Blackhawks jerseys.”
A large part of the Blackhawks’ resurgence is the team’s broadcasting its home games on local TV, a practice bizarrely avoided by late owner William Wirtz. Now with Wirtz’s son Rocky in control, Olczyk joins forces with Chicago fixture Pat Foley’s legendary play-by-play on Comcast SportsNet to form a popular and entertaining on-air duo for all 82 regular season games, plus some early-round playoff contests.
“It’s about selling, talking about, teaching the game,” he said. “What I’ve learned from all the great guys I’ve worked with is that it’s all about fun. I’m trying to tell people something they might not know and maybe help them get their mind off work or any hard times they may be enduring.”
Relating the game to fans across America can be taxing – Olczyk took part in over 100 game broadcasts last season in a wide variety of locations – but his sons’ exploits are never far from his mind. Enough so that he’s fixing to make a trip to Youngstown when Tom Olczyk’s Sioux City club rolls into the Covelli Centre for a two-game set against the Phantoms March 12-13.
“The Blackhaws are in Philadelphia that Saturday (March 13), so I’m hoping to be able to hop over to Youngstown that Friday,” he said via phone from his United Center office.
That’s par for the course in the USHL. You’re never far from an NHL connection.
The Youngstown Phantoms are a Member Club of the United States Hockey League (USHL), America’s only Tier I hockey league and premier developer of National Hockey League talent with more than 100 alumni on current NHL rosters.
Visit www.youngstownphantoms.com or call the Front Office at 330.747.PUCK(7825) for more information on the Phantoms organization. The Youngstown Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company (Phantom Fireworks), located in Youngstown, Ohio.
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 November 2009 14:56 ) |
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