Eddie Olczyk comments on the Blackhawks and his front office future

Affectionately known as Edzo, the former Chicago Blackhawks player and the current lead color analyst for NHL on NBC commented today on the state of the Hawks and addressed some interesting rumors.

Eddie Olczyk is widely beloved by most Chicago Blackhawks fans and by many fans around the league. Olczyk has been the lead color commentator for both the NHL on NBC and local Blackhawks broadcasts and is widely considered a leading hockey expert.

On the latest episode of the Blackhawks Talk Podcast by NBC Sports, Olczyk addressed a wide variety of issues.

He was first asked about his opinions on the Blackhawks’ past playoff run. Obviously, the playoffs showed that this team still has a ways to go in terms of getting back to being dominant. That said, Edzo did agree that there was one standout player from their time in the playoff bubble:

"It’d be hard to look past Corey Crawford, would it not? I mean, just considering what he was able to accomplish…..to see him perform as well as he did, was just, I mean it was remarkable, there’s no other way to say it."

I would definitely have to agree that Crawford was the brightest, and perhaps the only star in the Indian head sweater during these playoffs. Olczyk obviously has high praise for #50, especially given the fact that the goaltender overcame a Covid-19 diagnosis earlier in the year. With Crow currently involved in contract negotiations, Eddie would seemingly like to see Crawford stick around Chicago for a bit longer.

Perhaps most interestingly, Olzcyk also commented on some rumors that he would be leaving the broadcast booth. There have been reports that Olczyk has had meetings with a few different teams in regards to potential front office jobs, everything from general manager positions to the Blackhawks’ next president. Edzo spoke on the rumors:

"When people ask me if I’ve communicated with teams, I say I’m in the communication business and I do talk to a lot of people so that’s where I’ll kinda leave it. Look, I love what I do, the people I work with, the people I work for…..I’ve been humbled about the opportunities that’ve been out there, but obviously at this point nothing has really come to a decision time."

It sounds like, for the time being at least, that Eddie will be staying in the broadcast booth. We may never know the true depth of his conversations with teams unless he were to accept a job somewhere. As he said, however, it sounds that he is happy working in the broadcast booth, traveling around, and calling the game that he loves. He is very well-liked as a broadcaster, particularly in Chicago:

I think that Eddie Olczyk would be a great GM or team president, and he coached the Pittsburgh Penguins for a few years as well. While I do think that he would do very well in a number of positions, it’s more important that he enjoys what he does and doesn’t feel bogged down by pressure. Despite the positive aspects that he could bring to any number of teams, it seems that Eddie Olzcyk will be remaining behind the mic for a bit.

No matter what, I don’t think it could be overstated that Edzo is a great guy and a great asset to the game whether he is in the broadcast booth, the front office, or anywhere else.