Wow… there have been a lot of announcers that have come and gone over the years; the Blackhawks have shipped out a bunch of guys this year. But to lose Eddie O… that hurts more than normal IMO. One of the best things about watching the Hawks on TV, which would have been especially true this upcoming year, was listening to Pat and Eddie; now they’re both gone. This sucks.
Pat was one thing; he was Blackhawks history. We knew he was “retiring”… he was getting older, and the older you get, the less and less filter you choose to use. This isn’t that great for someone broadcasting in front of millions of people each year for an Original Six NHL team; too many people watching each and every word that is said… too many people getting offended in today’s world. I liked him because he was an original; he called it like it he saw it. Maybe you didn’t agree, but that’s what he got paid to do, right? He got paid to broadcast hockey; along the way, he may offend some folks, but oh well. Well, that got him on the expedited track for retirement, but Eddie??? This guy was about as down the middle as you can be. He kept Pat from going off the rails too much, even if he couldn’t curtail his in-game drinking a la Steve Stone and Harry Caray. Eddie had to be this way; he did it graciously. Not only for that reason, but because he was a “national guy”. Calling games on the biggest of stages, Eddie had to keep things on the up and up, as well as, try not to be biased, especially when the Hawks were doing their thing in the 2010s. But make no mistake, he IS a Chicago Guy, and once you’re a Chicago Guy, no matter where you may go in this great US of A, you’ll always be a Chicago Guy.
How unfair must the offer have been from the Hawks to Eddie? Seriously. This guy was all heart; he loved the Blackhawks. The Hawks had to lowball him to an insulting point, forcing his hand. To even consider leaving, it had to be bad. With such an unfair offer, the Hawks introduced money into the equation when it didn’t have to be, and now, he’s gone. His son is gone too, and honestly, he was one of the few from last year’s constant parade of announcers that I thought was decent. Of course, Eddie, the class act that he is, he owned the decision, but I think we all know better. Good luck to him; he deserves the best. He’s given us the best.
He’ll constantly be linked to the Blackhawks; there’s no question about that. A constant voice during the great Cup years, Eddie was also a teacher; I thought maybe the Hawks would consider him as head coach, if he was interested? He was a teacher on the mic. I know sports, but the sport that I played the least, was hockey; I learned so much from listening to Eddie. “For all those youngsters watching out there”… we learned to keep the stick on the ice when playing defense; Duncan Keith was a great example for us of that. We also knew when the right times for coaches to call timeouts during the game were. Not sure if he got tipped off to that, but he called that so many times. The big Hawk games he was a part of, the championship rallies… Eddie O will always be part of the Blackhawks IMO.
Losing Len Kasper didn’t hurt this much; maybe kind of like losing Steve Stone… losing Stacey King would fall in this category. But out of all the dumps the Blackhawks made thus far this offseason, this one makes the least sense. It was like a kick in the nuts basically; it hurt. Still processing it; going to take a while to sink in… Olczyk out? Wild times we’re living in, wild times…
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