The National Hockey League lost one of its greatest recent players last week when Jeremy Roenick finally announced his retirement after a glorious 20-year career at the highest level.
Roenick is widely regarded as one of, if not the, best players to come out of the United States and should be a shoo-in for the Hockey Hall of Fame when his name appears on the ballot in a few years time.
The 39-year-old was not just a fine player, but one full of passion for the sport and he should have a job to walk into in some lucky organisation in the near future – most likely the Chicago Blackhawks where Roenick began his career.
Roenick recently admitted his one regret in hockey was leaving the Windy City in the first place, the move coming in a trade with the Phoenix Coyotes for Alexei Zhamnov and Craig Mills, and he is widely expected, according to hockey betting, to take on an ambassadorial role with the franchise fairly soon.
Sadly Roenick never tasted Stanley Cup glory, but he ends his career as the third highest US scorer in history, behind only Mike Modano and Keith Tkachuk, but his overall game and importance to the team he was on at the time increases his importance within the game.
Roenick scored 513 goals and added 703 assists for a total of 1,216 points with 1,463 penalty minutes in an amazing 1,363 regular-season games. He also contributed 122 playoff points and went to a couple of Olympic Games, winning a silver in 2002.
“Jeremy Roenick will be remembered as one of the most dynamic players to ever play in the NHL,” said San Jose Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson – the Sharks were the final stop on Roenick’s odyssey.
“The level of passion he brought to the ice in his final game was just as high as the first time he laced up his skates over twenty years ago.”
Indeed about the only place you won’t find much love for Roenick is Los Angeles, where Kings fans got the worst of his career – an ineffective season, plenty of whining and more appearances on television off the ice than on it.
But that short section of his career apart, it’s hard to find a thing bad to say about one of the grittiest and most talented players ice hockey will ever see.
