Eddie Olczyk

Edward Walter Olczyk Jr. (born August 16, 1966) is an American former center in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

As a youth, Olczyk played in the 1978 and 1979 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from Chicago.

Olczyk grew up in Niles, Illinois and Palos Heights, Illinois and went to Brother Rice Catholic High School.

He was a star on the Illinois midget AAA team (Team Illinois) that won the 1982 national title against a Detroit Compuware squad that featured future NHL stars Pat LaFontaine and Al Iafrate.

He then moved to Canada to play for the Stratford Cullitons junior team before joining the 1984 U.S. Olympic hockey team.

Olczyk was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks as the third overall pick in the first round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.

He scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game on October 11, 1984, versus the Detroit Red Wings in Chicago Stadium against Greg Stefan.

From 1984 through 1987, Olczyk was a member of Chicago's infamous "Clydesdale Line" with Troy Murray and Curt Fraser, the nickname coined by Chicago's broadcaster Pat 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 the Toronto Maple Leafs with Al Secord for Rick Vaive, Steve Thomas, and Bob McGill.

Olczyk, during the 1989–90 season, scored a point in 18 consecutive games, which was the longest streak by an American-born player in NHL history.

The record was tied by Phil Kessel and later broken by Patrick Kane.

In the 1989-90 season, Olczyk recorded an 18 game point streak, setting the record for longest point streak by an American player (later tied by Phil Kessel), the record would stand until being passed by Patrick Kane in 2015-16 season.

The 18 game streak would remain a Toronto franchise record (tied with Darryl Sittler) until being surpassed in December 2022 by Mitch Marner.

He was traded again in 1990 to the Winnipeg Jets, with Mark Osborne for Dave Ellett and Paul Fenton.

In 1992, he was traded for the third time in his career, this time to the New York Rangers for Kris King and Tie Domi.

He won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994.

Olczyk missed much of the 1993–94 season recovering from a thumb injury suffered in a game versus the Florida Panthers on January 3, 1994; he took part in one playoff game (conference final game 6) and on June 14, 1994, became Stanley 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 being Alexei Vasiliev) in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

After signing as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings in 1996, he did not finish the season with them before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Glen Murray.

He finished his career in Chicago.

He returned to Pittsburgh to become the color commentator for the Penguins on FSN Pittsburgh, where he was given the nickname "Edzo" by current radio announcer and then co-announcer Mike Lange.

Olczyk was also the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins from June 2003 to December 2005.

He served as a television color commentator for NHL on NBC until its end in 2021 and currently commentates on TNT and Seattle Kraken games on Root Sports Northwest.

He also currently serves as the Horse Racing Handicapper and Analyst for NBC's Horse 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.

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.

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.

Beginning with the 2006–07 NHL season, Olczyk was the color commentator for the Chicago Blackhawks television broadcasts, partnering play-by-play announcer Pat Foley.

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."

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. forward Ryan 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.

On April 8, 2010, Olczyk returned to Pittsburgh to join more than 50 former Pittsburgh Penguins players being honored in a pregame ceremony before the final regular season game at Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

On December 30, 2010, it was announced that Foley and Olczyk signed a three-year extension to stay with the Blackhawks.

He also was the lead color commentator for NHL on NBC, and previously for the NHL on Versus; the latter later rebranded as NBCSN in 2012, for both the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Men's Ice Hockey and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, where he partnered with Mike Emrick and "Inside-the-Glass" reporter Pierre McGuire.

On July 11, 2012, Olczyk became the 16th Blackhawks player elected into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame on February 22, 2013.

The Blackhawks honored "Edzo" for his induction in a pregame ceremony on February 22, 2013, at the United Center.

He was also inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

In February 2016, it was announced that Olczyk would be the recipient of the Ring Lardner Award, 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."