There is a phrase that says, “Good things come to those who wait”.
Well for Jeremy Roenick the wait is finally over. The Hockey Hall of Fame officially announced that the class of 2024 includes players Jeremy Roenick, Pavel Datsyuk, Shea Weber, Natalie Darwitz, and Krissy Wendell-Pohl; along with Colin Campbell and David Poile also entering as builders.
The honor is long overdue for Jeremy Roenick who finally gets to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame in November after waiting 12-years since first becoming eligible. From a statistical perspective, Roenick’s selection is a no-brainer. Roenick scored 513 goals and 703 assists for 1216 points with the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and the San Jose Sharks from the 1988-89 season to 2008-2009. The former 8th overall selection for the Blackhawks in the 1988 NHL Draft currently is 5th all-time in points by a U.S. born player and participated in nine All-Star games. He scored 50 goals twice, hit 40 goals during another two seasons, and broke the 100 point threshold three times. He is undoubtedly one of the best U.S. players to ever play the game.
Outside of the NHL, Roenick also took immense pride in representing the United States in international competition. He first played at the 1988 World Junior Hockey Championships in Moscow and scored 5 goals and 4 assists for 9 points in 7 games with the U.S. finishing in 6th place. At the 1989 WJHC in Anchorage, Alaska; the host United States finished a disappointing 5th place but Roenick was named an All-Star and led the tournament in scoring with 8 goals and 8 assists for 16 points in 7 games. As a professional, Roenick won a Silver medal in the 1991 Canada Cup as the U.S. lost their two-game series with Canada and was once again named an All-Star with 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points in 8 games. He was also an integral member of the U.S. team that won Silver at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah with 5 points in 6 games.
An Entertainer On and Off the Ice
Even though Roenick never won any major individual awards or the Stanley Cup, the statistical case for J.R. and his body of work is impossible to ignore. His passion for the game and his ability to entertain on and off the ice was also a redeeming quality that makes him deserving of his Hockey Hall of Fame induction. While at times J.R. can be controversial, he wears his heart on his sleeve and tells it the way he sees it. Sometimes that openness gets J.R. into hot water; but for a sport that always has fans and pundits criticizing the blandness and repetitiveness of hockey players, Roenick is unique in how he entertains and keeps fans engaged (rightly or wrongly). With a camera and a microphone around, Roenick had a knack for getting people’s attention. Who can forget his epic disagreements with Mike Milbury, his competitive war of words with Patrick Roy, or his calling out referees for their conduct. Agree or disagree, there was never a dull moment when J.R. was involved.
As a fan from the Toronto area, Jeremy Roenick means a lot to me as a fan of the Philadelphia Flyers. Who could possibly forget the sequence of events and insanity that was overtime in Game 6 between the visiting Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
I know I won’t ever forget that game.
I was at a large and popular pool hall wearing my black Flyers jersey in front of a packed crowd of close to 100 customers watching the game on the big screen. My nerves were on edge as the overtime was played at a fever pitch. One Leafs fan showed me the tattoo of Wendell Clarke’s signature on his shoulder as an omen that the Leafs were going to force a Game Seven. The crowd in the arena and in the pool hall roared as Darcy Tucker ran over Sami Kapanen (who was clearly concussed on the play) and led to the Leafs pressing for the winning goal. After going end to end with both sides trading chances and my stomach seemingly in my throat; Roenick pounced on a puck in the neutral zone and went in on a two-on-one. It seemed like time froze in that moment for me as J.R. coolly shot the puck past Ed Belfour to win the game and the series in six games. The only sound was me yelling “J.R. Superstar!” at the top of my lungs and pumping my fist defiantly with every patron in the place giving me the iciest of stares. What a feeling! By the way, how awesome was that call by Bob Cole with commentary by Harry Neale? I remember like it was yesterday.
Jeremy Roenick also played a memorable part in a game that I got to watch live. On January 19th, 2002 the Philadelphia Flyers visited the Toronto Maple Leafs. I took my younger brother to the game (he is a Leafs fan) and I of course wore my Flyers jersey. Roenick ended up with an assist on the winning goal in a 3-0 win for the Flyers as Roman Cechmanek stopped all 31 shots for the shutout. Not only were there four fights in the first period (Donald Brashear vs. Tie Domi twice, and Todd Fedoruk fought Wade Belak and Bryan McCabe), but Jeremy Roenick stole the show as only J.R. could. During a TV timeout in the third period, the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) put on their Kiss Cam segment to entertain the fans. After panning through a few couples who graciously kissed once they saw that they were put up on the big arena screens above center-ice, the camera operator zeroed in on Roenick who was seated on the Flyers bench. With Roenick enclosed in a heart-shaped border, the fans began to cheer and chant to encourage J.R. Once Roenick became aware that he was on the arena screens for the kiss cam, he smiled, looked over at Mark Recchi, and planted a big kiss on Recchi’s face. The crowd went bananas. Whistles, cheers, whoops, and thunderous applause usually reserved for a Leafs player was directed toward a visiting player the likes of which is rarely seen (especially in Toronto). Once again, Roenick saw the opportunity to make fans happy and obliged with a giant grin on his face. The game summary is found at the link below.
https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/phi-vs-tor/2002/01/19/2001020715/playbyplay
Thank You J.R.
Finally, the Hockey Hall of Fame has deservedly inducted Jeremy Roenick. His legacy and commitment to the game of hockey will be enshrined in the Great Hall with all the other greats of the game.
The wait was long but worth it.
Congratulations to Jeremy Roenick on his storied career and his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and thank you for all the great memories. You put many smiles on my face over the years and have earned your induction. I know I will be tuning in to hear that HHOF induction speech; because as with everything related to Jeremy Roenick – it is guaranteed to be entertaining.
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Until next time from BrotherlyPuck.com,
I remain,
Manny Benevides
Photo credit: Getty Images
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