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Pittsburgh Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk, right, skates behind first-round pick Sidney Crosby on day one of practice Wednesday, September 14, 2005 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar)
STEUBENVILLE – Area residents attending Wednesday’s presentation by Eddie Olczyk will have the chance to hear an inspiring discussion.
“I think for anyone who enjoys storytelling, I hope I can inspire or help someone get through a difficult time they are going through”, Olczyk said in a recent interview.
When Olczyk takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Steubenville High School as part of the Herald-Star Lecture Series, presented by Eastern Gateway Community College, he will be sharing an interesting story.
“I was very lucky to have been to a lot of places,” said Olczyk. “I played in the Olympics at age 17, played in the National Hockey League for 16, became an elite NHL analyst and was diagnosed with colon cancer stage 3 in 2017. “
Olczyk, 55, was drafted by the Blackhawks of his hometown of Chicago in the first round of the 1984 draft. He was the third draft of the overall draft, just months after playing for the US Olympic hockey team in the USA. Sarajevo Games. This team, which played four years after the 1980 team that won the gold medal, finished 1-2-2 in pools and did not reach the medal round.
Although his Olympic experience was not as memorable as that created by the Miracle on Ice team, Olczyk said the 1980 team paved the way for the growth of hockey in the United States.
“This 1980 team really opened the door for all of us when it comes to US-born hockey players entering the NHL. “ he explained. “It really put us on the map, and I was in the next wave. I was still a young child when it happened. I was 12 and 13 when I watched this Miracle on Ice team.
“I thought, wow, how awesome it would be to be a part of that when I was older, you know, around 24 or 25,” He continued. “But four years later, I’m competing in the Sarajevo Olympics.”
This team, with a 4-3 victory over the Russians in the semifinals and a 4-2 victory over Finland to clinch the gold medal, opened a lot of eyes in professional hockey.
“We American-born hockey players owe a great debt of gratitude to this 1980 Olympic team because it opened the doors to the NHL. They were like ‘Wow, there are some really good players born in the United States. They can certainly play in the best league in the world.
“When you look at the percentage of US-born players who were in the NHL before 1980, then what happened 10 years later, in the 2000s and now in the 2020s, that number has grown considerably. improved over time. I just walked in as that door opened, and tried to wear this coat for as long as I did in the NHL.
During his NHL career, Olczyk played for Toronto, Winnipeg, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and with the Penguins. he scored 342 goals and collected 794 points in 1,031 games. He was head coach of the Penguins in the 2003-04 season until the canceled 2004-05 season and for the first 31 games of the 2005-06 season before being substituted behind the bench. Olczyk has been a radio and television commentator with the Penguins and Blackhawks and the NHL on NBC. He will be the main commentator for NHL games on Turner Sports this fall.
He said that Mike Eruzione and Ken Morrow, two players from that 1980 Olympic team who were part of the Baron club dinner at Franciscan University in Steubenville on August 15, helped pave the way for American players.
“It’s hard to believe it was 41 years ago. “ said Olczyk. “Mike chose not to pursue a career in the NHL and Kenny takes the gold and wins four straight Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders.
They were two outstanding hockey players born in the United States and two great hockey ambassadors in our country.
“This team opened the door for us, and for that, we will be eternally grateful to this team and what they were able to accomplish. To get that respect – that was the only thing – to get the respect and to earn the respect of the American hockey people. “
In his book he wrote with Perry Lefko, “Knock down the chances in hockey and in life”, Olczyk details his battle with stage 3 colon cancer and how it changed his life, the lives of everyone around him and many other lives. This battle began in August 2017 when the cancer was discovered, and included surgery and chemotherapy before he was declared free from the disease in March 2018.
“I think at first it was a lot to hide under a rock and I don’t want to burden anyone with what I was going through because I was sick”, Olczyk explained. “I think I came with the help of my wife, my close family and obviously my friends, and maybe I can help someone there. Maybe I can help someone avoid this disease, maybe I can inspire someone, maybe I can help them get through the day.
“I think that’s why I became very public with what I was struggling with and tried to be as transparent as possible”, he added.
He remains ready to discuss his journey and tries to get his message across to as many people as possible.
“I am contacted by many people who have been affected by this disease or by a family member who wishes good wishes or who asks me ‘Could you talk to my brother? Could you talk to my sister? you talk to my dad? ”And I understand because I’m in the public eye and I’ve put my hockey helmet down in a bunch of different places.
Even though it’s been more than three years since he beat his cancer, Olczyk said every story comes with a powerful message.
“I think the only thing I wish I had known before I wrote the book is that there is a real survivor guilt that I have experienced and that other cancer survivors go through when people you come into contact with, people you work with or people you know have died due to the disease ”, he said. “
It is something very real. Some people are able to handle it, some people have a hard time. I’m still learning, trying to navigate or, to use a hockey term, work my way through the guilt of the survivors of being lucky, having great support, and having a great team. of doctors.
This is a message he will share in Steubenville.
“If I can make a difference in the life of someone who attends, then it was worth my time and effort for everyone to come together,” he said.
General admission tickets for the presentation cost $ 25 and are available at the Herald-Star office, 401 Herald Square, Steubenville, and the Times Leader, 200 S. Fourth St., Martins Ferry, during regular business hours. Tickets are also available at heraldstaronline.com and weirtondailytimesonline.com.
Masks will be highly recommended for anyone attending the presentation.
A preferential ticket package is available for $ 50. It includes a copy of Olczyk’s book, “Beat the odds in hockey and in life”, which he wrote with Perry Lefko. and the opportunity to be among the first people to meet Olczyk after the presentation.
A VIP package is available and includes admission to a private reception which will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Froehlich’s Classic Corner; a selection of beers, wines and appetizers; the opportunity to meet Olczyk and have their picture taken with him; a copy of the book “; transportation between Froehlich’s and high school; and preferred seats for presentation. The price is $ 150 for a couple and $ 85 for a single ticket.
For more information on tickets and availability of preferred and VIP packages, contact Diana Brown at the Herald-Star at (740) 283-4711.
Copies of Olczyk’s book are available for purchase from the Herald-Star. Contact Brown for details. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book along with the money generated from a pre-show basket auction will go to local cancer centers.
High school and high school students in the area will have the opportunity to attend the presentation at no cost, courtesy of the Wheeling Nailers.
Joining Herald-Star, Weirton Daily Times, Eastern Gateway Community College, Franciscan University of Steubenville, WVU Medicine – Wheeling Hospital and the Nailers as event sponsors are the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, WesBanco, Dan Stephens State Farm, Froehlich’s Classic Coin and WTRF-TV. Special support is provided by EM-Media, Steel Valley Regional Transit Authority and Steubenville High School.
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