How horse racing helped Eddie O become the announcer he is today

By Sarah Langs

NHL on NBC and Blackhawks analyst Eddie Olczyk is a hockey guy, but he’s been turning into a two-sport athlete.

After doing the Breeder’s Cup for NBC last year and being a part of NBC’s horse racing coverage moving forward, Olczyk appears to be expanding his reach. But, as it turns out, horse racing was actually where he got his start.

During the 1994 NHL lockout, Olczyk got the opportunity to do racing analysis in-house at the Meadowlands Racetrack.

“I did four days a week for three months,” he said on Kap & Haugh. “That’s how I got my introduction to television...I had never done TV before, until I got that chance to work at the racetrack at the Meadowlands.”

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Though he took a break from his nascent analysis career to head back on the ice once the lockout ended, Olczyk got a chance to promote hockey yet again during some NBC hockey broadcasts.