Blackhawks announcer Eddie Olczyk diagnosed with colon cancer

Eddie Olczyk, the popular television commentator for the Chicago Blackhawks, says he is undergoing treatment for colon cancer.

Olczyk, who will turn 51 next week, also said he expects to return to the broadcast booth once he completes his treatment.

“Having the support and encouragement from my family, the Chicago Blackhawks organization, NBC Sports and all my friends and fans means the world to me and will give me continued strength to beat this,” Olczyk said in a statement. “My family and I appreciate privacy during this time as we focus our attention on my treatments.”

Olczyk was the third overall pick of the Blackhawks in 1984 and played with them from 1984-87 and 1998-2000. He will enter his 12th season in the broadcast booth alongside Pat Foley as one of the top one-two punches in the league.

Blackhawks team physician Dr. Michael Terry said Olczyk had a tumor removed last week.

“He is recovering well from the procedure and will be undergoing further treatment in the coming weeks, including chemotherapy,” Terry said. “We look forward to his return to good health after the completion of his treatment.”

Said Blackhawks president and CEO John McDonough in a statement: “Eddie Olczyk is a treasured member of the Chicago Blackhawks family and we will be supportive of him as he fights this disease. We encourage our fans to keep him in their thoughts as we all look forward to having him back in good health as soon as possible.”

Few color analysts do a better job of describing how a play unfolded or why a team is playing a certain way better than Olczyk, who scored 342 goals in his 1,031 NHL games.

No announcement was made as to who will take over for Olczyk in the interim, but his fellow broadcasters and the hockey world made their feelings clear across social media after the announcement was made.

“Love you Edzo!,” tweeted Hawks radio analyst and former teammate Troy Murray. “We will be with you all the way through this … Look forward to having you back on the road soon.”

Said Sam Flood, NBC sports executive producer and president of production: “We're looking forward to the day when Edzo comes off IR, and rejoins Doc (Emrick) and Pierre (McGuire) to call the great game of hockey.”