PITTSBURGH -- Ed Olczyk, a longtime NHL player who became a broadcaster, was hired Wednesday as the Pittsburgh Penguins' fifth coach in five years despite having no coaching experience.

		Wed., June 11 Is Ed Olczyk the right choice? Because he doesn't have prior coaching experience, it's a common question to ask. He's going to learn along the way and he's going to make mistakes, but all first-year coaches do, regardless of their background. Ed's biggest strength is his character. He began his career as a goal scorer, persevered through injuries and ended it as a role player, having to suck it up while sitting on the bench or not dressing for games. He was given the Players' Player Award by the Rangers in 1993-94. He's also played under coaches like Roger Nielsen, Bob Pulford and Mike Keenan, so he's learned from different kinds of philosophies. It's nice to see Pittsburgh bring a fresh face behind the bench who can really relate to today's younger players, instead of bringing back a coach who's been turned over and over and over again. This team, right now, is not going to win the Stanley Cup. But this team has to develop its assets and I think that's where Eddie is going to do well. He will be able to see eye-to-eye with these players. I'm sure he's going to put a lot of thought into who is going to be behind the bench with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he keeps Joe Mullen as an assistant. Another former Penguin, Mullen has been around and has a great deal of insight and experience. While this may seem out of the blue, I think when Tony Granato got the job in Colorado, it really peaked Ed's interest. It happens to all of us when we see one of our peers get the nod.

Olczyk became emotional moments after the announcement, and said he was excited about taking over.

"I've wanted this for a long time," Olczyk said. "Craig (Patrick) and I have talked for a long time, and he knew a couple of years ago I wanted to do this. I know people are going to doubt it and have questions about what is going on, but that's all right. This is an opportunity of a lifetime."

Olczyk knows it will be argued that youthful players need a veteran coach to guide them, not one as inexperienced as they are. At 36, Olczyk is the first coach in Penguins history young enough to be born the same year the franchise came into existence.

"In a perfect world, I'd love to have some experience, but it's not going to take me long," Olczyk said.

Olczyk is convinced that the speed and quickness the Penguins acquired in their long succession of trades over the last two years can be harnessed into a hard-playing, quick-strike team that scores off turnovers.

"We're going to be relentless, I can promise you that,'" Olczyk said. "We're going to create offense by being relentless."

Olczyk's hiring mirrors a move early last season by the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche promoted former player and announcer Tony Granato to coach after only a couple of months with the team as an assistant coach.

Olczyk spent 16 seasons in the NHL as a player, including a brief stay with the Penguins, but his only coaching was with a group of 15- and 16-year-olds in Chicago.

Penguins general manager Craig Patrick wanted to hire a coach who can relate to and work with the team's younger players. The Penguins have gutted their roster since making the Eastern Conference finals two years ago, trading Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Jan Hrdina and a number of other experienced players in an effort to rebuild with much younger and lower-priced talent.

"He's the perfect guy to do what we're asking," Patrick said. "He has an infectious type personality. He's outgoing. He's a great teacher. He's got great hockey knowledge."

The Penguins are coming off their worst season since owner-player Mario Lemieux's rookie season in 1984-85, losing all but two of the final 21 games while finishing 27-44-6-5 under former coach Rick Kehoe. He was fired April 15 after the Penguins won only 55 games in two seasons.

Kehoe followed former Czech Olympic coach Ivan Hlinka, who was let go four games into the 2001-02 season despite taking the Penguins to the conference finals the previous season. In turn, Hlinka succeeded Herb Brooks, who finished the 1999-2000 season as coach after Kevin Constantine was fired in December 1999.

Just with Hlinka, who had no NHL experience, the Olczyk hiring is a major gamble for Patrick.

"I know there are going to be skeptics because he has no bench coaching experience, but a lot of guys in the NHL have stepped out of their equipment and behind the bench and have had great careers," Patrick said.

The Hall of Fame general manager has drawn growing criticism for getting little in return in the Jagr and Kovalev trades and for several recent coaching hirings. Hlinka did not speak English well and thus had trouble talking with players on and off the ice. Kehoe had no head coaching experience and was not known for communicating well with his players.

That shouldn't be a problem with Olczyk, who was a color analyst for NHL Radio during the just-concluded Stanley Cup finals after working earlier rounds for ESPN. A Penguins broadcaster for three seasons on Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh, he earned excellent reviews for his thoughtful game analysis and ability to understand what the players were thinking.

"I talked to a lot of people at the Stanley Cup finals and had to bite my tongue when people would say 'Why would anybody want that job?' You just don't know how badly I wanted to blurt out 'I want that job," Olczyk said.

Olczyk played for the Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, Rangers, Kings and Penguins during his NHL career, getting 342 goals and 452 assists in 1,031 seasons.

Drafted No. 3 overall by the Blackhawks in 1984, he played three seasons in Chicago before enjoying his best seasons with the Maple Leafs. He had a career-high 42 goals during a 75-point season with Toronto in 1987-88, during a three-season stretch in which he scored 118 goals. He returned to Chicago to finish his career with the Blackhawks in the 1999-2000 season.

Olczyk becomes the latest name on a growing list of broadcasters who move into coaching or manager's jobs, including Granato, and baseball managers Bob Brenly of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Larry Dierker (formerly of the Houston Astros), and Buck Martinez (formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays).