HR1151 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1151 LRB100 15779 ALS 40343 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to recognize Eddie Olczyk; and

WHEREAS, Eddie Olczyk grew up in Niles and Palos Heights, where he attended Brother Rice Catholic High School and excelled in youth hockey as a member of the 1982 national championship winning Team Illinois; he continued to excel as a member of the 1984 United States Olympic hockey team; his 16-season National Hockey League career began in Chicago as the third pick of the 1984 Entry draft, when he was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks; as a member of the 1994 New York Rangers, he became a Stanley Cup champion; he coached the Pittsburgh Penguins for two seasons and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012; and

WHEREAS, The Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation founded the Eddie Olczyk Award in 2011 to support young hockey players and teams who lack the means to play at a competitive level; since its inception, the Eddie Olczyk Award has distributed more than $360,000 in grants to 160 individuals and eight organizations with funds raised through Blackhawks Youth Hockey Summer Camps, for which Eddie serves as head coach; and

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

WHEREAS, Eddie Olczyk recently fought a public battle with colon cancer, becoming a source of strength and encouragement for countless cancer patients and their families by telling his story, advocating for early detection, and making public appearances at hockey games and horse races whenever his body would allow; he has received tremendous support from his family and the hockey and horse racing communities; he was declared cancer free in March 2018 and has eagerly stepped back into his roles as a hockey and horse racing analyst, providing coverage of both the NHL playoffs and the Kentucky Derby; and

WHEREAS, Eddie and Diana Olczyk are parents to four children and have been married for 30 years; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize Eddie Olczyk and his accomplishments, and we wish him continued success in his broadcasting career; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Eddie Olczyk as an expression of our esteem and respect.