The Seattle Kraken TV Analyst Has Reportedly Been Angling For Front-Office Posts In The Keystone State
Seattle Kraken and TNT Network broadcaster Eddie Olczyk has reportedly been in talks with the Pittsburgh Penguins about a front office position.
Our THN colleagues in Pittsburgh, citing an article in The Athletic, said this: "Former Penguins head coach Eddie Olczyk has been involved in interviews for a separate position entirely.
"Olczyk is among candidates to serve as a conduit between ownership and the hockey operations staff.
"This position would likely help keep a cleaner stream of communication between FSG (team owner Fenway Sports Group) and whoever they decide to hire in the various front office positions still to be filled."
Eddie O. Almost Joined The Penguins' Arch-Rivals
Olczyk last month was believed to be a finalist to become Philadelphia Flyers President of Hockey Operations.
The job went instead to fellow player-turned-TNT-analyst Keith Jones. Olczyk gave a classy on-air response, saying, "Boy, did the Flyers get this right, without question."
Olczyk Played 1,000+ NHL Games
Chosen 3rd overall by the Blackhawks in the 1984 NHL draft, Olczyk began his career in Chicago. He later played for the Maple Leafs, Jets (twice), Rangers, Kings, and Penguins, before finishing his playing career back with the Hawks.
In total, he played 1,031 NHL games (plus 57 in the playoffs), scoring 342 goals, with 452 assists and 874 penalty minutes.
Olczyk joined the ROOT Sports Kraken telecasts for the 2022-23 season, following 16 seasons in the same role on Blackhawks telecasts.
If Eddie O. Heads To The Steel City...
The Kraken broadcast wouldn't be in a lurch, should Eddie O. bolt for Pittsburgh. Olczyk currently works a three-man TV booth alongside play-by-play voice John Forslund and analyst J.T. Brown.
Forslund and Brown worked as a duo this season when Olczyk was away calling national games for TNT. Should Eddie depart, they could presumably revert to that Forslund-Brown pairing, the same one used in the Kraken's first season.
Eddie Olczyk's clan is well represented within the Kraken organization. One of his sons, Eddie, is a Kraken amateur scout. Another son, Nick, is a ROOT Sports hockey studio analyst. Eddie's brother Ricky Olczyk is one of the team's assistant general managers.