Wayne Gretzky, Eddie Olczyk Join Turner Sports
On Wednesday morning, Turner Sports officially announced that Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk and Wayne Gretzky are joining their broadcast team for the 2021-22 season.
“The Great One” @WayneGretzky, @KennyAlbert & Eddie Olczyk join the Turner Sports NHL team
— TurnerSportsPR (@TurnerSportsPR) May 26, 2021
Full release: https://t.co/OSjy403jyu pic.twitter.com/ZEFOpXTSKQ
“The world’s best hockey league is coming to Turner Sports later this year and the exciting additions of Wayne, Kenny and Eddie will jumpstart our NHL coverage with some of the best and biggest talents in the sport,” Tara August, Senior Vice President of Talent Relations and Special Projects, Turner Sports, said in the release. “Their incomparable experiences within the game and unparalleled depth of knowledge will bring a distinct dimension to our game and studio coverage. We’re thrilled to welcome them to the Turner Sports family.”
I would not be surprised to see an entire new television booth broadcasting Hawk games next season. Foley was embarrassingly bad at times this season and Olczyk’s wacky vagabond travel schedule with multiple networks and sports does not lend itself to continuity. I enjoy the Hawks radio side with Weideman and Troy Murray. They would be an interesting option on the television side.
The teenager in me is SOOOOOOO excited about Gretz & Edzo.
Can’t wait to hear 99!!!
this is tremendously tremendous :)
Great that Wayne and Eddie are joining Turner Broadcasting for the next NHL season ! They played the game and do know all the finer points of the playing of that Canadian Kids game ! Too many times I listened to sportscasts by people that had no idea what they were talking about because they never played ! Bravo ! It will be good ! Philip
Hopefully this means the Pat and Eddie yuck-it-up comedy show is a thing of the past. Unfortunately for us, the best real-time color analyst in the sport is the one leaving instead of the other guy.
I agree Weideman and Murray would be great.
When your team’s getting manhandled and laughed at, a little comedy show in the booth at least at times makes the game a little more plausible.
TNT. broadcasts should be professionally handled anyways.
The problem with the Hawks’ broadcasting duo is that they think they have chemistry together. That results in the continual nonsense versus calling the game. You don’t have the same dynamic when Konroyd is there. People complain about Konroyd, but he is all business and usually has perceptive things to say – except for the time he said, “Duncan Keith is not used to getting his shots blocked.” Olczyk does have a good eye and picks up on nuances that others miss. But he is redundant. I am hopeful that the Turner schedule means he does not have time to (as ER would say) yuck-it-up with Foley.
Agree with others that Weideman/Murray would be outstanding for the TV gig. But who knows what the contract situation is with WGN etc.?
John & Troy are the best duo for certain.
While I agree the Foley/Edzo yuk-it-up routine gets old fast, Edzo is indeed the cream of the crop. Konroyd puts me to sleep. He’s a nice guy but IMO not entertaining. I’d rather have Sharpy than Konroyd. And I’m not saying that just bc ‘ooooh cute Sharp Shooter’. Patrick Sharp is damn good at his retirement gig, no matter what you think/thought of him during his playing years.
Hopefully Foley, steve Konroyd and jammer arent lost in the fray. Foley gets a lot of unnecessary grief from posters here. Watch another teams broadcast and you’ll quickly see why hes one of the best. …accept when him and eddie go way pff on a tanget. I dont mind thier stories from back in the day. The governor story comes to mind as a good one from this year only problem was they fialed to explain to viewers what it is but im sure many knew, probably not most whatevrr.
Hopefully sharp and even burish show up. Love how pb steve and jammer break down plays. Hope see a lot more of that and lot less of the standing and lottery odds….goood grief is that boring….”if they lose today and win tomorrow and this other teams goes to overtime and then this team losesin regulationand this other team wins in overime then this team loses” good god…you can tell they are being told to talk about it when they want yo talk hockey.
Oh one more thing… if you’re hoping another team loses for your team to make the playoffs….your team is probably screwed anyway. I cant imagine this Blackhawks team competing against any of these playoff team except maybe, probably the Oilers. Sad McDavid will get mvp in q division that had terrible defense oh well. …even the worst team has more goals than several teams in other divisions…what does that tell you?
I understand that some aren’t fans of the Foley/EdZo’s pairing and style.
I personally enjoy immensely their interaction and insights beyond every second of an ‘on the ice only’ broadcast. Foley knows a hell of a lot.
Having the Hawks miss the playoffs has allowed me to use the NHL app, check scores and then choose to listen to broadcasts from either team.
I’m here to tell you, the ‘color commentary’ from the teams I’ve listened to; Lightning, Islanders, Avalanche, Canadians, Jets and others PALES in comparison to our broadcast team. The Hawks have by far the best tandem of on air personalities, of course, I’m listening to radio and not watching ‘on air’ broadcasts because I was driving.
I’ve only heard 3 play by play by play guys I would like when Foley leaves.
You can decide for yourselves. Install the NHL app and choose either ‘watch’ or ‘listen’ for your team of choice and then tell me I’m wrong.
Honestly, we have no idea how spoiled we’ve been with Foley/EdZo.
Foley should retire. He can’t call the game fast enough anymore. Edzo is the best.
I do like the pregame from NBCSports, Love to see Jammer and Burish continue with PB. Konroyd is good but dry.
@Peter Miller: Nailed it.
I’ve been driving a lot this post-season and listening to the playoff games on XM.
Holy crap some of these guys are hot garbage. (thinking of NSH specifically) I’ll take Edzo & Pat rambling on any day of the week compared to 80% of the crap other teams have.
I will listen to Pat and Edzo any day compared to most of the other teams broadcasters, not to mention a complete moron in Pierre Maguire. As for Gretzky….I will pass, bet he is as good of an announcer as he was a coach…which means he will probably suck.
Foley is great but in his last broadcast he made an off color remark that could cost him his job. Foley and Eddie are entertaining but sometimes don’t know when to stop the nonsense. If Foley does come back, he needs to stop telling us that the other team hasn’t scored in the current situation in so many games. Whenever he says something like that, they score.
Did Foley offend some snowflake ?? Hockey is a MANS game….oh wait I can’t say Man can I…do have to come up with some bull crap non binary, I am not a human pronoun ??
He didn’t offend a “snowflake”. Or woman.
He made a comment about how he would’ve “taken a gun to his head” if he would’ve been subjected to the restrictions that were put in place for the teams to be able to play this season.
Very poor choice of words for a professional to use on air.
Especially for a professional who has been around a team that has had it’s fair share of employees die from suicide in recent years.
Also, hockey is not just for men.
Wiedeman and Murray would be penomenal!
Thank you, Stefanie. Foley should have known better than to have that statement even enter his mind.
I’m critical of Foley and Eddie at times for sure. But as others have stated, the people I’ve heard on on other teams’ broadcasts are not good. Not good at all.
I’d rather have Foley and Eddie back, if Eddie can have and keep up with the same travel schedule he had while sharing Blackhawks and NBC duties.