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Reports: Eddie Olczyk leaving Blackhawks broadcast booth

Another franchise fixture is reportedly on his way out.

Apparently, the Chicago Blackhawks’ ongoing rebuild is not limited to the on-ice product.

According to multiple media reports, Eddie Olczyk is leaving his role as the color analyst for NBC Sports Chicago’s broadcasts of Blackhawks games.

The news of Olczyk leaving the Blackhawks booth was first reported by Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.

Later on Monday afternoon, Ben Pope of the Sun-Times reported on Olczyk’s new destination: handling the same role for the Seattle Kraken.

Lazerus later reported that the news of Olczyk’s departure caught the Blackhawks’ front office by surprise:

Jay Zawaski from CHGO_Sports reported a similar response from people within the organization:

And more is apparently coming, according to Phillip Thompson from the Chicago Tribune:

It’ll be a surprise to see Olczyk anyone where other than Chicago, given his roots in and around here. He grew up in the suburbs just outside of the city, attended Brother Rice High School on the southwest side and was drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round (No. 3 overall) of the 1984 NHL Draft. His NHL career included 1,031 regular-season games across 16 seasons, with 322 of those games happening with the Blackhawks.

After his playing days ended, Olczyk spent 1.5 seasons as the Pittsburgh Penguins head coach, posting a 31-64-8 record. Soon after leaving that job, he arrived in the Blackhawks’ broadcast booth alongside Pat Foley, where he’s been ever since. Olczyk has also risen up the analyst ranks for the NHL’s national broadcasts, where he and the now-retired Doc Emrick called the majority of the postseason games from the Blackhawks glory days.

[UPDATE] Olcyzk appears to be making the media rounds this afternoon, as he has now commented to multiple outlets in Chicago:

[UPDATE, II] The Blackhawks released a statement:

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