Up Close With PSR
Ed Olczyk

Ed Olczyk has been all over the map in his hockey career. A native of Chicago, he was playing Junior B hockey in Stratford, Ont. at age 16. He was an Olympian in Sarajevo at age 17 and a No. 3 overall pick by his hometown Blackhawks at age 18. He went on to play 1,031 National Hockey League games with Chicago (two stints), Toronto, Winnipeg (two stints), the New York Rangers, Los Angeles and the Penguins. He followed that by doing color work for ESPN, Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh and NHL Radio.

Now he's headed for the one place he's never been: behind the bench.

The Penguins' new coach, hired June 11 to replace Rick Kehoe, has plenty on his plate in the coming months. He and general manager Craig Patrick have to hire a new assistant coach (with early speculation centering on Olczyk's last NHL coach, Lorne Molleken); Olczyk has to conduct his first training camp for Patrick's young Penguins; he has to get acclimated to directing an NHL bench. In general, he has to set about disappointing all those who believe his lack of experience will backfire on Pittsburgh.

PSR caught up with Olczyk a week after his hiring and just days before he began what he hopes is a long-term relationship with a young French-Canadian named Marc-Andre Fleury. Make no mistake: Edzo is one happy human.

PSR: At the press conference announcing your hiring, you made it a point several times to emphasize that you had been very protective of your coaching dreams. Why was it important to keep them a relative secret?

EO: Over my career, I learned a lot about handling certain situations. When the question would come up the last few years, I just kind of downplayed it. I didn't want to make a big deal about it. That was just me.

PSR: You mentioned Bob Pulford, Lorne Molleken and John Paddock as the three coaches who had the most influence on you during your playing days. What kind of relationship did you have with Molleken?

EO: At the end of my career I was looking for a sounding board and support, and I got that from Lorne and from (assistant coach) Denis Savard. It was the way Lorne handled himself and situations, the things he said to players. He was the one who said, 'If you think it's right, do it. If it's wrong, we'll talk about it later. Don't be in between.' He knew what I could do at that point in my career. But it was just the way he handled his whole situation. He replaced Dirk Graham, who was a friend of his. In fact, Dirk had brought him in. It was a difficult situation to come into, and I saw how he handled himself as a man and as a coach. In the two years I was with him, he was a real professional.

PSR: It takes time for a coach's philosophy to evolve, clearly, but how would you describe your philosophy at this point?

EO: I will want to be able to assess a player and tell very quickly his strengths and weaknesses. The expectation level for myself and the staff is that we have to appreciate what a guy can do and what he can't do and put that player in a situation where he can have success. Very rarely when I'm addressing players will I use the verbage, 'When I was a player. . .' But I will be able to relate. All you want as a hockey player is for the coach to put you in a position to succeed. For me it will be putting the right players together, because defense is going to be an A-1 priority. When we have the puck, let your instincts take over. But if you're a scorer and you're not scoring, you better be doing something else.

PSR: Sometimes young players need a pat on the back, and sometimes they need a kick in the butt. How does a coach know when to do which?

EO: It's knowing your personnel and seeing how they react. I learned at a very young age that it's easy to be a good guy or a good team when things are going well. But the true color of a player or a team comes through when things are tough, how you react. Some guys may need that stroking, and it's up to me and my staff to realize that. Other guys kind of feed off someone being in their face. Peer pressure is something that is needed. You know, players have changed. I saw that in my last couple years in the league. There used to be more peer pressure. It didn't matter if it was a guy who played only 30 games or a guy who played 30 minutes for 80 games, there was peer pressure constantly coming from within, and you didn't need a coach or an assistant coach to come in and do it. Now, a lot of players are too sensitive and take it the wrong way. When I was a young player, you were seen and not heard. You didn't speak unless you were spoken to, and that's the way it was. Things weren't given to you. That peer pressure coming on a daily basis is a good thing. Guys getting into arguments or pushing and shoving in practice, as long as it's done in the right way, is good. I don't see any problems with that.

PSR: This team has lost an awful lot of games over the last two seasons, and at times over both seasons it seemed they were just waiting for disaster to happen. Are you concerned about the effect of all that losing?

EO: It can be devastating, especially for younger players, but we've had so much turnover recently that I don't think there is a carryover. When we have that first team get-together, I'll tell them that I truly believe we are starting over. That's going to be emphasized. I want them to know about our past, the Stanley Cups, all the great players who have been here, the fact that this team was in the conference finals in 2001. But it doesn't take much to slip. And for whatever reason Ð finances, a lack of execution, whatever Ð it's happened. But it will be a positive atmosphere with my energy level. It has been a problem at times, we have been fragile, and when you get in those streaks you have to do anything to get out of them. But this is truly a new era, and it's going to be very positive. This is a great opportunity for a lot of guys. I'll tell them, 'The ball's in play, and this is your opportunity. If you want to play in the NHL, my eyes are open.'

PSR: One advantage you have is that, after three seasons of doing color on the Penguins' TV broadcasts, you know something about many of these guys. On the other hand, you don't know them the way a coach knows them yet. So there's still a learning curve for you, right?

EO: There's no doubt about that. I'll be watching them in practice, how they react when a goal is scored against them, how they handle themselves away from the rink, how they treat their teammates. When I see a guy make a mistake, I will be watching to see which guys tap that guy on the pads when he comes off the ice. Those are the things that build camaraderie, that build hockey teams. It won't take me very long.

PSR: Obviously, getting this job allowed you to realize a dream. But coaching this team at this time is a huge challenge. Why else did you want to do it?

EO: You just feel it's right. My relationships with the Penguins on and off the ice have been absolutely an unbelievable experience, from ownership to management to players. I just felt it was right. We're going to have a lot of young players, and it's a chance to relate to them and teach them and help them become pros. Even as a player, I always tried to make other players feel good about themselves. That's something I will continue to try to do. When I heard people (around the NHL) making comments about the job, I don't think they understood the situation Ð they thought it was a no-win. But me knowing the situation, talking to people about the young players in the organization, there was a chance to start over and be a part of something right from the start. People would say there were low expectations for this team, but that's a lot of B.S. You have to set them high. I want to do this not only for myself and my staff and my players, but for the city and for Craig and Mario, who have given me this opportunity.