"Though we are disappointed to learn today that he has decided to go in another direction, Eddie will always be part of the Blackhawks family." We are going to miss him as much as our fans will," the team said in a statement Monday. "For 16 seasons, we were fortunate to have legendary broadcaster Eddie Olczyk bring Chicago Blackhawks hockey into the homes of our fans. The Blackhawks disputed that the director of broadcasting Trevor Bray has been reaching out to former players to check their availability to serve as color commentator on NBC Sports Chicago broadcasts next season, saying Bray was not contacting anyone to take over Olczyk's role, only to serve as fill-ins for when needed. The source said the Blackhawks had offered a “multiyear contract extension” and believed they had a verbal agreement “weeks ago.” The deal offered Olczyk a higher rate on a per-game basis but did not include all 82 games, because of Olczyk’s national duties with TNT and NBC’s horse-racing coverage. He also serves as TNT’s lead game analyst.Ī team source said Blackhawks leadership was “blindsided” by the news once it was published by The Athletic. Olczyk’s contract expired on June 30 - the same day the Blackhawks let go a number of lower-profile staffers - and negotiations stalled over the past couple of weeks. "But I just felt like I needed to take a step back and pursue other opportunities that presented itself." But Chicago is home, it’ll always be home," he told The Athletic. Olczyk will not return to the post he's held for 16 seasons and instead join the Seattle Kraken’s broadcast team, he confirmed to The Athletic. In the past year, the Blackhawks have parted ways with general manager Stan Bowman, coach Jeremy Colliton, longtime play-by-play voice Pat Foley, star winger Alex DeBrincat, up-and-coming players Brandon Hagel and Kirby Dach, and a host of front-office personnel, all while the fates of franchise pillars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews remain murky at best.Īdd local institution Eddie Olczyk to the list.
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