University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Hockey's Olczyk Builds Coaching Experience Abroad
September 02, 2015 | Hockey
After a 17-hour plane ride that placed him over 4,800 miles from the familiarity of his former home ice at the Mullins Center, former Massachusetts hockey forward Eddie Olczyk quickly acclimated to his new and different surroundings. Olczyk, a four-year UMass centerman who played a year in the SPHL after graduating in 2013, returned to the ice and the weight room this summer, this time in Kazan, Russia, to assist NHL All-Star Pavel Datsyuk at the PD13 Hockey School.
From July 8 to July 18, Olczyk worked alongside the Olympic Bronze medalist and Detroit Red Wing alternate captain as the strength and conditioning coach to Datsyuk's summer camp for young hockey players age 8 to 16.
Olczyk learned of the opportunity from his current boss, Utica College's head hockey coach Gary Heenan. Heenan received a message from brothers Todd and Jay Woodcraft of the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, respectively, who introduced Olczyk to Datsyuk. After working a year as a Utica men's hockey assistant coach, Olczyk felt this was a great opportunity to tackle a new experience in the off-season; in his words, "the decision was a no-brainer."
Datsyuk started the camp in 2008 as a way to give back to his hometown and surrounding cities in Russia, but this past summer in the program's eighth year, the Red Winger went one step further: he picked up the tab for all 80 camp participants, allowing them to skate with and learn from experienced players and coaches for absolutely free. "[Datsyuk] is an awesome individual. He's super humble. He makes millions of dollars every year, yet his main concern is that these kids are learning and having a good time," said Olczyk.
Three weeks prior to the beginning of camp, Datsyuk underwent surgery to repair ruptured tendons in his right ankle. Despite the inability to skate, let alone properly walk, Datsyuk still attended every part of the camp. "He was on crutches on the bench the whole time," Olczyk recalled. "That alone speaks volumes to his character and the kind of guy he is. He was on the bench watching every ice session from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every single day and he couldn't even skate."
During those three weeks, Olczyk also had the opportunity to put Datsyuk through a series of off-ice workouts, something that presented a new challenge to Olczyk, as the NHLer was operating on only one leg. "It was difficult. He wore a huge boot but I ran him through single-leg, upper body and core workouts. Even though he was injured, he wanted to get better. He just wanted to know how many sets, how many reps. He's one of the best hockey players in the entire world and he's still looking for a way to get better. There was no ego with him; he was extremely respectful and very professional."
Working abroad as a non-Russian speaker surely tested Olczyk's coaching skills, but he welcomed this challenge head-on: "It helped me work on my communication. I had a 24/7 translator with me; I'd say two sentences then the translator would say two sentences. In terms of coaching it taught me to be more direct and let [the players] know exactly what I wanted done as opposed to going into great detail. The language barrier was the most difficult thing, but hockey is a universal language so the kids picked up on it quick for the most part."
To many of the players at the PD13 Hockey School, off-ice strength and conditioning training is an uncommon practice at such a young age, and Olczyk had the unique opportunity of introducing these players to weight training for the very first time. "A lot of the European kids play soccer and they don't start any weight training until they're a little bit older. We had kids that had never seen anything like that before so it was pretty cool to expose them to it for the first time."
Olczyk's time abroad allowed him to challenge his coaching abilities while working with some of the best talent in the hockey world. He was impressed by Pavel Datsyuk's relentless work ethic and unwavering humility and generosity, and Olczyk anxiously awaits the start of the Red Wings' schedule to see what #13 has in store for 2015-16. Olczyk has since made the journey back across the pond to return to his home in New York; there, he will begin preparations for his new position as an assistant coach to the Niagra University men's hockey team. Olczyk officially announced his new position with the Purple Eagles on Wednesday, September 12.
