HR1151LRB100 15779 ALS 40343 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to recognize Eddie Olczyk; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Eddie Olczyk grew up in Niles and Palos Heights,
5where he attended Brother Rice Catholic High School and
6excelled in youth hockey as a member of the 1982 national
7championship winning Team Illinois; he continued to excel as a
8member of the 1984 United States Olympic hockey team; his
916-season National Hockey League career began in Chicago as the
10third pick of the 1984 Entry draft, when he was drafted by the
11Chicago Blackhawks; as a member of the 1994 New York Rangers,
12he became a Stanley Cup champion; he coached the Pittsburgh
13Penguins for two seasons and was inducted into the United
14States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Blackhawks
16Foundation founded the Eddie Olczyk Award in 2011 to support
17young hockey players and teams who lack the means to play at a
18competitive level; since its inception, the Eddie Olczyk Award
19has distributed more than $360,000 in grants to 160 individuals
20and eight organizations with funds raised through Blackhawks
21Youth Hockey Summer Camps, for which Eddie serves as head
22coach; and
 

 

 

HR1151- 2 -LRB100 15779 ALS 40343 r

1    WHEREAS, Eddie Olczyk has been a life long fan of horse
2racing and began his career in television broadcasting during
3the 1995 hockey work stoppage by providing in-house coverage of
4horse races at the Meadowlands Racetrack; since then, Eddie has
5become a well-loved television analyst for the Chicago
6Blackhawks on NBC Sports Chicago and WGN-TV; as the lead
7analyst for NHL national broadcasts on NBC, he has garnered
8awards, including the Chicago Athletic Association's Ring
9Lardner Award, two Emmys from the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of
10the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for
11"Outstanding Achievement for Individual Excellence on Camera:
12Programming" and "Outstanding Achievement for Sports
13Programs-Sporting Event/Game-Live/Unedited Program/Special;"
14he has continued to use his visibility in the hockey community
15to promote horse racing by giving his derby picks on air and
16visiting the Kentucky Derby, Meadowlands Racetrack, and
17Belmont Park with the Stanley Cup; he has remained a mainstay
18in thoroughbred horse racing broadcasting and has taken part in
19covering such events as the Golden Cup and the American Triple
20Crown, including the Kentucky Derby; he thoroughly enjoys
21visiting with trainers, jockeys, stable hands, and horses on
22the backstretch, and he has co-owned horses with Todd Pletcher,
23Chad Brown, and Tammy Domenosky and has forged relationships
24with leaders within the horse racing community, including with
25Bob Baffert; and
 

 

 

HR1151- 3 -LRB100 15779 ALS 40343 r

1    WHEREAS, Eddie Olczyk recently fought a public battle with
2colon cancer, becoming a source of strength and encouragement
3for countless cancer patients and their families by telling his
4story, advocating for early detection, and making public
5appearances at hockey games and horse races whenever his body
6would allow; he has received tremendous support from his family
7and the hockey and horse racing communities; he was declared
8cancer free in March 2018 and has eagerly stepped back into his
9roles as a hockey and horse racing analyst, providing coverage
10of both the NHL playoffs and the Kentucky Derby; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Eddie and Diana Olczyk are parents to four
12children and have been married for 30 years; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
14HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
15recognize Eddie Olczyk and his accomplishments, and we wish him
16continued success in his broadcasting career; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18presented to Eddie Olczyk as an expression of our esteem and
19respect.