Eddie Olczyk: Beating the Odds in Hockey and in Life

Description

When Eddie Olczyk looks at his life, he can't believe how many times he's beaten the odds. At age sixteen, he was selected for the 1984 U.S. Olympic hockey team, and four months after the competition ended he was drafted in the first round by his hometown Chicago Blackhawks. He played alongside Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier and saw his name engrav

Eddie Olczyk is an award-winning television commentator on NBC's coverage of the NHL and thoroughbred horse racing, and for the Chicago Blackhawks. He played 16 seasons in the NHL with the Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, and Los Angeles Kings. He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012. Perry Lefko is an award-winning Canadian journalist and bestselling author of several books on national and international sports.

"Olczyk, with Toronto Sun journalist Lefko, presents a gripping account of his remarkable life, from his selection for the 1984 U.S. Olympic Hockey team through his remarkable battle with colon cancer. Olczyk, now a sportscaster for NHL and NBC, takes readers through his life and career with insights from coaches, teammates, and family members (after being traded to the Winnipeg Jets in 1999, his mother said in frustration, "You're just a piece of meat"). Without being self-aggrandizing or boastful, Olcyzk draws readers through the ins and outs of professional sports, from the anxiety of trades to the complexities of victory: in recounting his journey of the 1994 Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers, he notes that he was able to celebrate "a dream that every player has from the time they begin to play the game" while combatting a personal decline that "tested my resolve." While Olczyk discusses the joys of his post-playing career nimbly, it's his unflinching account of his battle with cancer that truly stands out (in the afterword, his children tell their stories about living with their father through these hard times). Though an obvious must-read for hockey fans, this inspired account of a man battling cancer will appeal to a wider audience, as well." Publishers Weekly