Eddie Olczyk is stepping down as the color analyst on Seattle Kraken television broadcasts after four seasons, the team announced on Tuesday.
Olczyk had been with the Kraken since September 2022 while also serving as the top analyst for games on Turner Sports, a role he will continue.
Last season, on top of his Seattle duties, Olczyk was part of 65 national TV broadcasts, including in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as well as national radio games.
With his 60th birthday coming Aug. 16, Olczyk feels it's the right time to cut his workload and spend more time with his wife, Diana, at their home in the Chicago area. Prior to joining Seattle, he spent 15 seasons as an analyst for Chicago Blackhawks games combined with his national TV work
"I've done the same schedule for the last 20 years," Olczyk told the Kraken website. "It just comes to a point where you have to make a decision. It's been in the making, and I just thought this was the time that I wanted to be home more.
Olczyk has been one of the primary voices on national television broadcasts in the United States since he started with NBC Sports in 2007. He joined Turner Sports when it acquired NHL TV rights in the U.S. in 2021.
While working for the Kraken, Olczyk spent some time living in a Seattle-area condo with his son, Nick, who worked on Kraken broadcasts until becoming a TV analyst for the Utah Mammoth in 2024. Another son, Eddie, is a Kraken amateur scout.
He also got be around his brother, Ricky, a Kraken assistant general manager.
"It's all been about family and relationships," Olczyk said.
As much as he enjoyed working for Seattle, the desire to be home more won out.
"Everything has revolved around my hockey career since 1988 when I got married to my wife," Olczyk said. “Everything has been centered around my schedule. Well, that’s changing.
And now's the time.
Kraken TV broadcasts this season will feature play-by-play broadcaster John Forslund and analyst J.T. Brown, who have worked together since 2021-22, Seattle's inaugural season. They became a three-man booth when Olczyk arrived.