Eddie Olczyk stepping away from Kraken Hockey Network
EDMONTON, CANADA - FEBRUARY 28: Broadcast personalities John Forslund and Eddie Olczyk call the game between the Edmonton Oilers and the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Place on February 28, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Andy Devlin / NHLI / Getty Images)
One of the members of the standout broadcasting team for the Seattle Kraken is leaving the organization as Eddie Olczyk is stepping away after four years with the team.
"It’s time for me to go back home and be there for me and my family," Olczyk said in a statement posted on social media.
The backstory:
Olczyk was balancing his work with the Kraken along with a significant national schedule of games for TNT and national radio. Ultimately, he decided he needed to trim down on his commitments.
"I want to thank everyone in the Kraken organization, past and present, and the entire Kraken Hockey Network team for giving me this opportunity," Olczyk said. "It was a privilege to share the broadcasts with JT (Brown), Piper (Shaw), and our incredible studio team led by Ian (Furness), Alison (Lukan) and Brett (Festerling). And a special thank you to Johnny (Forslund) It was an absolute privilege to sit beside you for the past four years. There’s nobody better! Hopefully we’ll have the chance to call some national Kraken broadcasts together down the line."
Olczyk joined the Kraken broadcasts in 2022-23 after being unable to reach a deal to continue as color analyst of the Chicago Blackhawks, where he played five seasons as a player as part of his 16-year NHL career. Olczyk told the Kraken's Geoff Baker that it was just time to pull back.
"I’ve done the same schedule for the last 20 years," Olczyk said. "It just comes to a point where you have to make a decision. It’s been in the making, and I just thought this was the time that I wanted to be home more."
Olczyk's brother, Ricky, is an assistant general manager with the Kraken, his son, Nick, spent two seasons with the Kraken as part of their broadcast team as well before joining the Utah Mammoth's broadcast in 2024, and his son, Eddie, is an amateur scout for the Kraken.
JT Brown will move back into the full-time analyst role alongside Forslund after sharing it with Olcyzk throughout his time in Seattle. Brown served in the role when Olcyzk wasn't available due to national commitments, and was the full-time analyst for the team alone in their inaugural season in 2021-22.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Seattle Kraken and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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