Eddie Olczyk, by his admission, was far from the NHL's fastest player in his day. But his ascendancy to become the Penguins' 18th head coach could not have been more rapid.
"So fast," he said at his introductory news conference at Mellon Arena yesterday. "Everything was just a blur."
In many ways.
For one, Olczyk made a quantum leap from the broadcast booth to the bench, leaving behind his three-year post as the team's color analyst on Fox Sports Net for a job at which he has no experience. The only coaching he has done at any level of hockey was with a group of boys ages 15-16 in the Chicago area this past winter.
For another, he is 36, making him the second-youngest coach in the NHL, five months older than Paul Maurice of the Carolina Hurricanes.
For another, and perhaps most surprising, the process to hire him barely consumed one long afternoon, as Penguins General Manager Craig Patrick's focus never strayed long enough to interview many, if any, other candidates.
"I made up my mind I wanted Edzo a while ago," Patrick said. "It was just a matter of letting him know."
That happened Tuesday.
Olczyk flew home that morning from New Jersey to Chicago after working the Stanley Cup final for NHL Radio, and he was exercising to unravel the kinks from two weeks of cross-continent travel when the phone rang. It was Patrick, who already had made up his mind about Olczyk based on an interview a month earlier, letting him know the job was his.
"Unbelievable feeling," Olczyk said.
That night, Patrick was on the phone with Olczyk's agent to agree to a contract. Financial terms were not disclosed -- they seldom are with NHL coaches -- but the deal is believed to cover three years.
And that was it.
Olczyk flew to Pittsburgh yesterday morning, signed the contract and was whisked before the media by noon to be part of a gathering originally intended to focus on the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
In a way, as was obvious at the news conference, none of it happened soon enough for Olczyk.
Visibly emotional and teary-eyed at times, he spoke passionately of how he yearned to get into coaching for the past seven years, even before he retired as a player in 1999-2000 after 16 NHL seasons.
"I've wanted this for a long time," Olczyk said. "Craig and I have talked for a long time, and he knew a couple of years ago I wanted to do this. ... I've known Craig for 20 years, and he knows the type of person that I am. I appreciate this opportunity very, very much. It is an honor to represent not only the Penguins but also the city of Pittsburgh."
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Olczyk - "I've wanted this for a long time." (Bill Wade, Post-Gazette) | |
Olczyk was defiant, too, addressing criticism the Penguins are sure to receive for the hiring even before any reporter had a chance to bring it up.
"In the hockey world, sure, it's going to be news," Olczyk said. "People are going to doubt, going to question. That's OK. ... Experience behind the bench? Yes, I don't have any. But I'm going to have great support."
Patrick was no less aggressive in bringing up the subject unsolicited. He cited the likes of Terry O'Reilly, Brian Sutter, Bob Pulford, Gerry Cheevers, Glen Sather and Al Arbour, all of whom became NHL head coaches without bench experience.
"I know there are going to be skeptics because Edzo has no bench experience," he said. "But a lot of guys in the NHL have stepped out of their equipment and behind the bench and have had great careers."
Patrick said he interviewed Olczyk "several times" leading up to the hire but mostly relied on what he already knew.
That started with his experience coaching Olzcyk with the Penguins in 1997.
"He was more aware than anybody I've ever seen as a hockey player of all circumstances, all parts of the game," Patrick said. "He gave the coach another set of eyes and ears, another voice."
He said Olczyk's work in the booth impressed him, too.
"For years, he's been upstairs analyzing, dissecting, critiquing every move in every game. He's been very impressive in that role, one of the up-and-coming broadcasters in the game."
Still, no amount of precedent or praise can diminish the risk the Penguins are taking, especially considering that they are, in Patrick's recent words, "in a survival mode." They have pared payroll by more than $10 million in the past six months and plan to have a roster built almost entirely with young players next season.
Because of that, it had been expected that Patrick would conduct a widespread search for his next head coach when Rick Kehoe was fired April 15. That never materialized.
Nine prospective candidates, including some viewed in hockey circles as the brightest available in the NHL or the American Hockey League, received little or no contact from the Penguins. Included in that group was Brent Peterson, a respected assistant coach with the Nashville Predators who never heard from the Penguins. Patrick also elected not to interview Larry Robinson, who led New Jersey to the 2000 Stanley Cup, despite having sought and received permission from the Devils to talk to him two weeks ago.
Asked yesterday if he had conducted a second interview for any candidate besides Olczyk, Patrick replied: "Actually, the process culminated a lot faster than I thought it would. I anticipated this going on a bit longer and having more of an opportunity to talk to other people. But, when I became convinced that this was the perfect fit, I stopped any and all dialogue I had going with anybody else."
Patrick and Olczyk have had only preliminary discussions about the system the Penguins will employ next season, and both were reluctant to offer specific ideas.
Olczyk stressed physical play and defense, especially in the neutral zone, and he pointed to the Minnesota Wild as an example. Minnesota reached the Western Conference final this past season despite a league-low $21 million payroll and several young players by emphasizing speed and responsibility without the puck.
"People look at them and say, 'Oh, they play the neutral-zone trap,' and that's it. But they have a lot of speed and, when they have a chance, they go," Olczyk said. "I see a lot of our guys who have that speed. And I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you that, if we could be half as good as them defensively right off the bat, I'd be tickled pink."
Olczyk described the three traits he hopes to display regularly as communication, consistency and discipline. He emphasized the first on that list, especially in negative situations.
"When a guy is getting scratched, he'll hear it from me," he said. "And I'll tell him what I expect of him, too."
Olczyk said some of his closest friends warned him not to take the Penguins' job, advising him to remain in his comfortable role of announcer rather than risk taking the fall for an inexperienced team which is sure to struggle.
But Olczyk not only took the job but also spoke freely of having "high expectations" for the Penguins next season.
"Every time you play, you play to win. Nobody can tell us that, if we break it down into 10-game segments, that we can't be a .600 or.550 hockey team. This isn't just about letting our players learn on the job. This is about winning, and I know that. Our necks are on the line."
That enthusiasm, Patrick said, was a prominent reason for the hire.
"He's very Bob Johnson-like," Patrick said, referring to the Penguins' invariably bubbly coach in 1991, their first Stanley Cup year. "I see more of Bob Johnson in him every time I talk to him."
The Penguins had made known that a priority in choosing a coach would be his personality, his face value in Pittsburgh, his ability to communicate not only to his players but also to the public.
Even Patrick, whose attention seldom strays from on-ice needs, acknowledged Olczyk's popularity as an announcer -- fans routinely came to games holding "Circle me, Edzo" signs in hopes he would circle them on the telestrator -- and gregarious manner were influential.
"It certainly doesn't hurt to have a coach with a personality, that's recognizable outside the arena," Patrick said. "It was an important factor, but there were many, many others. To me, the person is the most important thing, along with the knowledge of the game. We found a quality person."
Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1938.
Olczyk takes Penguins' reins without coaching experience 
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