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Source: Penguins Hire Ed Olczyk As Coach

Posted on: Wednesday, 11 June 2003, 06:00 CDT

Ed Olczyk, a longtime NHL player who became a broadcaster, was hired as the Pittsburgh Penguins' fifth coach in five years despite having no coaching experience, The Associated Press has learned.

The Penguins scheduled a news conference Wednesday to make the announcement, a source close to Olczyk said on the condition of anonymity.

Olczyk's hiring mirrors a move early last season by the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche promoted former player and announcer Tony Granato to coach after only a couple of months with the team as an assistant coach.

Olczyk, 36, spent 16 seasons in the NHL as a player, including a brief stay with the Penguins, but his only coaching was with a group of 15- and 16-year-olds in Chicago.

Penguins general manager Craig Patrick wanted to hire a coach who can relate to and work with the team's younger players. The Penguins have gutted their roster since making the Eastern Conference finals two years ago, trading Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Jan Hrdina and a number of other experienced players in an effort to rebuild with much younger and lower-priced talent.

The Penguins are coming off their worst season since owner-player Mario Lemieux's rookie season in 1984-85, losing all but two of the final 21 games while finishing 27-44-6-5 under former coach Rick Kehoe. He was fired April 15 after the Penguins won only 55 games in two seasons.

Olczyk played for the Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, Rangers, Kings and Penguins during his NHL career, getting 342 goals and 452 assists in 1,031 seasons.

Drafted No. 3 overall by the Blackhawks in 1984, he played three seasons in Chicago before enjoying his best seasons with the Maple Leafs. He had a career-high 42 goals during a 75-point season with Toronto in 1987-88, during a three-season stretch in which he scored 118 goals.

Olczyk returned to Chicago to finish his career with the Blackhawks in the 1999-2000 season, when he had two goals and two assists in 33 games.

Olczyk becomes the latest name on a growing list of broadcasters who move into coaching or manager's jobs, including Granato, Larry Dierker, Bob Brenly and Buck Martinez.

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