Don't be surprised if Ed Olczyk becomes a tad emotional when he steps to the podium to talk about his induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday at the Plaza of the Americas Atrium in downtown Dallas.
During his media availability prior the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Ceremony & Dinner, Olczyk was asked if he would be able to get through his speech without breaking down.
Um, fat chance.
"I cried when I signed my first contract with the Chicago Blackhawks back in 1984," Olczyk said. "I cried when my wife was walking down the aisle in August of '88. I cried when I played my last game in the NHL and cried when all my kids were born. I'm sure [Monday] will be no different, and I know for sure I'll be crying when I'm six feet under."
Olczyk, the third overall pick of the Blackhawks in '84, enjoyed a 16-year professional career. He won a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994 and also was the youngest player on the 1984 U.S. Team at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
"I'm proud to say hockey is all I know," Olczyk said. "I didn't know how to get to the NHL; I just wanted to play and I was able to do that. The game has given me so much. I've always wanted to give back to it, and to be able to do it as a broadcaster and the opportunities I've gotten at NBC and in Chicago, has been great. I knew at the end of my career that I wanted to continue to stay in the game on a lot of different levels."
Follow Mike Morreale at the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Twitter at: @mike_morreale
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