Ed Olczyk

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size=
played_for = Pittsburgh Penguins
Los Angeles Kings
Winnipeg Jets
New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
league = NHL
position = Center
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 1
weight_lb = 200
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1966|08|16
birth_place = Chicago, IL, USA
draft = 3rd overall
draft_year = 1984
draft_team = Chicago Blackhawks
career_start = 1984
career_end = 2000

Edward Walter Olczyk (born August 16, 1966, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) is an American former head coach for the National Hockey League Pittsburgh Penguins and former center for Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins. He currently serves as the color commentator for the Chicago Blackhawks, in addition to calling games for NBC and the NHL on Versus. He played 1,031 NHL games and produced 342 goals and 452 assists for a total of 794 points between 1984 and 2000.

Playing career

Amateur career

Olczyk grew up in Palos Heights, Illinois where he was a star on the Illinois midget team 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 United States Olympic hockey team.

Professional career

Olczyk was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, first round, third overall. Olczyk was traded a number of times during his career. In 1987, he was traded to Toronto by Chicago with Al Secord for Rick Vaive, Steve Thomas and Bob McGill. He was traded again in 1990 to Winnipeg by 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. Olczyk would miss most of 1993–94 season recovering from thumb injury suffered in game vs. Florida, on January 3, 1994, however he would recover to win the Stanley Cup with the team that season. In 1995 he would be traded once again. This time he would go back to Winnipeg by for their 5th round choice (who ended up being Alexei Vasiliev) in 1995 Entry Draft. After Signing as a free agent by Los Angeles in 1996, he wouldn't even finish the season there before being traded again, this time to Pittsburgh for Glen Murray. He would finish his career in Chicago.

Post-playing career

He returned to Pittsburgh to become the color analyst for the Penguins on FSN Pittsburgh. 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 is the game analyst for the Chicago Blackhawks television broadcasts. Olczyk is also the lead game analyst for The NHL on NBC, and a studio and color analyst on The NHL on Versus.

Personal life

Olczyk has two children playing Junior A hockey in the USHL: Eddie plays for the Waterloo Black Hawks in Waterloo, Iowa and Tom, who plays for the Sioux City Musketeers. His younger brother Rick Olczyk is a former college hockey player.

Career statistics

--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1983-84 U.S. Olympic Team Intl 0 0 0 0 01984-85 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 20 30 50 67 15 6 5 11 111985-86 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 79 29 50 79 47 3 0 0 0 01986-87 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 79 16 35 51 119 4 1 1 2 41987-88 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 42 33 75 55 6 5 4 9 21988-89 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 38 52 90 75 -- -- -- -- --1989-90 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 79 32 56 88 78 5 1 2 3 141990-91 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 41992-93 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 01994-95 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 61996-97 Los Angeles Kings NHL 67 21 23 44 45 -- -- -- -- --1996-97 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 12 4 7 11 6 5 1 0 1 121997-98 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 56 11 11 22 35 6 2 0 2 41998-99 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 61 10 15 25 29 -- -- -- -- --1998-99 Chicago Wolves IHL 7 2 2 4 6 -- -- -- -- --1999-00 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 33 2 2 4 12 -- -- -- -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NHL Totals 1031 342 452 794 874 57 19 15 34 57

Coaching Record

International Record for Team USA

*1984 Winter Olympics (seventh place)
*1984 Canada Cup (fourth place)
*1987 Canada Cup (fifth place)
*1991 Canada Cup (second place)
*Ice Hockey World Championships: 1985 (fourth place), 1986 (sixth place),1987 (seventh place), 1989 (sixth place), 1993 (sixth place)

External links

* [http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11230 Ed Olczyk's bio at Legendsofhockey.net]
* [http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1984/84003.html Ed Olczyk's profile at hockeydraftcentral.com]
*hockeydb|4070

ee also

* List of NHL head coaches
* List of NHL players
*List of NHL seasons
*List of IHL seasons