Eddie Olczyk is living what he calls "the chance of a lifetime" — and it's not hard to see why. This week, the veteran sports broadcaster is pulling off a double that few in television history have ever attempted.
On Tuesday night, Olczyk was behind the mic for TNT, calling Game 5 of the Western Conference first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Edmonton Oilers and the Anaheim Ducks. But as soon as the final buzzer sounded, his journey was just beginning. Next stop: Churchill Downs, where he'll work the 152nd Kentucky Derby race weekend for NBC.
It's a unique back-to-back that Olczyk has been mastering for more than a decade. Even after moving from NBC to TNT Sports in 2021 — when TNT and ESPN took over NHL broadcasting rights — he never gave up his horse racing duties. But this year, the schedule got even sweeter. Olczyk also had the honor of calling the U.S. men's hockey team winning its first gold medal since 1980 in a dramatic overtime victory against Canada at the Milan Olympics.
When asked to name his all-time favorite broadcasting moments, Olczyk doesn't hesitate to mix hockey and horse racing. Sidney Crosby's golden goal in Vancouver in 2010. American Pharoah's Triple Crown triumph in 2015. But topping them all? Jack Hughes' gold medal-winning goal in Milan.
"Being in Milan and seeing firsthand something that I grew up as a kid playing hockey and seeing the Miracle on Ice in 1980... all the years later and all the close calls and actually seeing that happen — the most recent gold medal game in Milan would be number one," Olczyk shared from Edmonton this week. "There's so many emotions that went into it individually and professionally. Being a part of the first gold medal call in 46 years would definitely be at the top of a Mount Rushmore of broadcasting."
For a man who has played in the NHL, coached in the NHL, and now calls some of the biggest moments in sports, this week is just another chapter in a remarkable career. Whether it's pucks or ponies, Eddie Olczyk is right where he belongs.