Olczyk Delivers Hilarious Story During Final ROOT Sports Kraken Telecast

Seattle Kraken TV analyst Eddie Olczyk played six seasons in Winnipeg, site of ROOT Sports' final Kraken telecast of the season on April 16.

Olczyk regaled his audience with the side-splitting story of how he learned he'd been traded from the Maple Leafs to the Jets.

"November 9, 1990, my wife (Diane) goes into labor. I was playing for the Maple Leafs. The next night, we were playing the Blackhawks. I called the team and said, 'My wife's going into labor. I'm not going to be at the morning skate on November 10, but I'm going to be at the game.

"Fast forward, my wife's in labor, she's not cooperating, the baby hasn't come yet in the morning."

Pregnant Pause

Olczyk pauses, realizing he may have run afoul of EVERY WOMAN HEARING HIS VOICE. "You know what I mean, 'not cooperating,' everything wasn't speeding up." Impish broadcast partner John Forslund chimed in, "Nice story so far."

Edzo continued. "I call the Leafs and let them know, 'Lookit. I'm going to be at the game. They say, 'Call us before the game.' I say, 'I don't have time to call you. I'm going to be at the game.'

"It's about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. My wife goes pretty much into full labor. While we're in the delivery room, the doctor says, 'Let me put my catcher's mitt on.'"

I believe this is known as writer's embellishment, although Olczyk claims that's a direct quote. Forslund and third member of the on-air crew JT Brown can be heard laughing.

"He's got the mask on, the rubber gloves on. All of a sudden the nurse comes in, taps me on the shoulder and says, 'The Maple Leafs are on the phone.'

"The Punch Line's Coming"

"I go to the nurse's station, I get on the phone. It's the PR guy Bob Stellick. He goes, 'Eddie, how's Diane?' I say, 'She's having a baby. I'll be at the game.' He says, 'Call us before you come.' 'I'm not.'

"He hands the phone to the general manager, Floyd Smith. He says, 'Eddie, we hate to do this to you, but we just traded you to the Winnipeg Jets.'

"It gets better, the punch line's coming. I was gone maybe five minutes, because I called my dad, I called my agent from the pay phone."

Edzo turned to Brown, 24 years his junior. "I don't know if you know what a pay phone is." Brown assured him he did, so Olczyk continued. "I'm sitting there going, 'My wife's on the table, about to give birth. How do I go back in there and say (I've been traded)?'

"I walk back in. My wife goes, 'Where in the bleep-bleep have you been!?' I don't know what to say. 'Uh, my aunt's sick.' She says, 'Where are we going?' I said, 'Guess.'

"She looks at the ceiling, looks at me and said, 'Winnipeg.' Psychic and pregnant, what a combination. Tommy Olczyk was not born for another three hours."

Postscript

The story began with 9:50 remaining in the 2nd period, extended through whistles and a Kraken power play, concluding at a commercial break with 5:22 left.

Olczyk points out, "I don't know how many guys were traded out of the delivery room. It wouldn't be allowed today."

Forslund used the occasion to laud everyone in the clan except his broadcast partner. "Diane is the shining light of the Olczyk family, along with the children. We've seen (Kraken TV commentator) Nick on a regular basis. I can vouch for the others."

As an aside to Brown, Forslund said, "That was the short version of the story." Olczyk explained, "Some people probably didn't want to hear it. They wanted to hear you call the game, so I figured I would pick my spots."

Something the Maple Leafs clearly failed to do.