Eddie O in awe at Wrigley rink

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This article was published 02/01/2009 (6470 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He was perched behind the benches and just 30 feet from the ice at Wrigley Field on Thursday and former Winnipeg Jets forward Eddie Olczyk sounded just a little envious.

"Being a former player and not getting a chance to play at such an event, yeah, envious because it’s such a privilege to be able to play in a game like this," Olczyk said from his Chicago home not long after the Detroit Red Wings stopped the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in the Winter Classic game.

Olczyk, who skated for the Jets in five different seasons, was the colour analyst for NBC’s national television coverage of the event. His regular gig is as the Hawks’ TV colour analyst.

As a Chicago native, he was thrilled about how the whole thing turned out.

"It was breathtaking when they came out of the dugouts and past home plate," Olczyk said.

"It was so very well choreographed and people, whether in Winnipeg or the suburbs of Chicago who have played on outdoor ice, understand how this was all about the grassroots of hockey.

"And to me, the ice looked really good. They did such a tremendous job, learned from their experiences with the cold and snow (Edmonton and Buffalo). I had a chance to skate on it Wednesday and it was solid.

"Some wind, only a few minutes of sun, that wasn’t bad but for the players. I think the hardest part was that you’re used to seeing people sitting right behind the glass, but they adjusted."

NBC also revealed that the former sniper, who had 95 of his 342 NHL goals for the Jets, has more challenges with singing. They aired part of his recent Take Me Out To The Ballgame, rendition from a Cubs game at the stadium.

"First of all, I wouldn’t call it singing," Olczyk laughed. "I was absolutely embarrassed but that was the idea. In the spirit of Harry Caray, you just try to lead the crowd. As I told Bob Costas, those were the only two lines I sung. I just let the crowd sing the rest.

"It was a great honour."

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca