BREAKING: Our Beloved Ed Olczyk Will NOT Be Returning To Chicago Next Year

The hits just keep on coming. I've been told that over and over that the new Blackhawks brass is largely data driven. Love that. I am a big fan of data. Always have been. I've talked about this repeatedly when talking about analytics in hockey. I maintain that if your data gives absurd results then the problem is likely with your data and you should reevaluate your methodology and the inputs. 

In this case...your data says that the right move is to (allegedly) essentially force out a local legend who was born here, played here, finished his career here, beat cancer here, and taught the game to an entire new generation of fans over the course of like 15+ years well then your data and subsequent read on the situation is BROKEN. 

Credibility matters. Trust matters. Hope matters. You can't effectively sell hope unless that person telling you to take a leap of faith already has your faith. Edzo is walking credibility. There have been many moves and statements that make me think that the Blackhawks either don't know or don't care about their core audience. This is at the top of the list. 

Now look, I am not an expert on any of this. I don't know specifics of the offer or the what the thought process was to not retain Edzo, but this feels like a situation where you do everything in your power to keep the best analyst in hockey on your staff. 

I am honestly stunned. Searching for the words because I am GENUINELY pissed off about this. How many slaps in the face is this fan base supposed to take? I can embrace a full scale rebuild. I think it's time. There were definitely aspects of this organization that needed change and fresh eyes after the disaster that was Stan and John. Edzo isn't in that camp. You could argue that the best thing the organization had going in recent years was the broadcast. Now that is out the window. If after the scandal the organization was a victim of arson and had 3rd degree burns on its face and chest...the org came in and just ordered to amputate the legs as a treatment. 

When you criticize something, the purpose of criticism isn't to just burn everything down to studs. It's to separate the wheat from the chaff. The Blackhawks didn't need to CHANGE everything. But they are. I trust Kyle Davidson. I like Luke Richardson. If those two guys do a good job, well, people will tune in and everyone will get to pat themselves on the back. In the interim you're pushing THE ONLY voice that many of your young fans have ever heard out of the only job he wanted. If you're hoping to connect with younger fans I don't think it is a good idea to throw their hockey dad onto a bus to a new city. 

Upsetting to say the least and makes life VERY difficult for their young guys, Colby Cohen and Chris Vosters, in my opinion. You could've done things in a MUCH different way. They could've had duel broadcasts like how MNF has the Manning cast. They could've had a three man booth with Colby at ice level. They could've offered Edzo a deal that allowed him to stay long enough to usher in Cohen and Vosters and give them a layer of credibility because he has enough to go around. Now you left those guys with a bullseye on their backs. Not because they aren't good or qualified, but because they're not Foley and Edzo and fans will look to voice their discontent and the organization is going to send them over the hill to face the consequences of a decision that they weren't consulted on. Brutal.