Pittsburgh, PA (My Sportsbook) - Former NHL player and current broadcaster Ed Olczyk was named the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. He is their fifth coach in five years.

The 36-year-old Olczyk, who spent this year's Stanley Cup Finals as an analyst for NHL Radio, played in the league for 16 seasons, including a stint with the Penguins from 1996-98. He has never coached hockey on a professional level, however, and the move is seen as an attempt by Pittsburgh general manager Craig Patrick to find someone that will relate to the team's young players.

The Penguins are a reeling franchise coming off their worst season since Mario Lemieux's rookie campaign of 1984-85. Furthermore, the team has won just 12 of its 59 games after the All-Star break in the past two years, finishing last season with a dismal 27-44-6-5 overall record, good for last place in the Atlantic Division.

Former head coach Rick Kehoe was fired in April after just one full season on the job. He had replaced Ivan Hlinka only four games into the 2001-02 season, and posted a record of just 55-81-14-10 behind the Pittsburgh bench.

Lemieux, who is now both a player and Chairman of the Penguins, announced a front office shakeup before the end of last season designed to help the struggling franchise develop and improve, including assigning Patrick and President Ken Sawyer the task of developing overall plans to lead the club's resurgence and return to NHL prominence.

Patrick and the team have apparently found their man, following in the footsteps of the Colorado Avalanche, who named former player and announcer Tony Granato head coach early last season.

Olczyk's journeyman NHL career includes stints with the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and the Penguins. His best season came in 1988-89 with Toronto when he scored 38 goals and assisted on 52 others for the Leafs.