For all the colors on the jerseys he pulled over his head in his 20 years in the NHL, Jeremy Roenick had an equally colorful personality. One of the league's most outspoken talents, Roenick announced his retirement as a professional hockey player on August 6, 2009.
Drafted eighth overall by the Chicago Blackhawks at the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, the Boston native cracked the 'Hawks roster as an 18-year-old that fall. He scored 18 points in 20 games with Chicago in 1988-89, offering just a taste of what lay ahead. Roenick piled up the points during his eight seasons in the Windy City, including a pair of 50-goal campaigns as well as three consecutive 100-plus point efforts.
He joined the Coyotes in time for their inaugural season in Phoenix in 1996 and would spend five years there, reaching at least 24 goals each season and surpassing 70 points on three occasions.
His career also included stops with the Flyers and Kings, and another go-round with the Coyotes before landing with the Sharks for a pair of seasons. While age caught up with the veteran in the post-lockout NHL, he still had a nose for the net in his first year in San Jose. Roenick scored 14 goals in 2007-08, with a league-leading 10 of them resulting in game-winners.
Roenick's Place in Hockey History
As the years went on, he firmly ensconced himself as one of the top American players in hockey history. Roenick ranks third all-time among those born in the US in both points (1,216; behind Mike Modano and Phil Housley) and goals (513; behind Modano and Keith Tkachuk), reaching the 500-goal plateau in November 2007 against the Coyotes.
Overall, he finished his career with the 39th-most points, 36th-best goals total, and 48th-most assists (713).
For Roenick, appearances in the playoffs became a habit. While he never won a Stanley Cup, he made it to the post-season in each of his first 12 seasons with Chicago and Phoenix and reached the Final with the Blackhawks in 1992; only three times in his career did he miss out on the spring dance - 2000-01, 2005-06, and 2006-07.
A nine-time All-Star over a 13-year span, Roenick also represented the United States in two Winter Olympic Games (1998 - sixth-place finish; 2002 - silver medal) as well as the 1991 Canada Cup (second-place finish) and 2004 World Cup (lost in semifinal).
Regular Season Career Stats
Chicago Blackhawks: 1988-89 to 1995-96
- Games played: 524
- Goals: 267
- Assists: 329
- Points: 596
Phoenix Coyotes: 1996-97 to 2000-01, 2006-07
- Games played: 454
- Goals: 152
- Assists: 227
- Points: 379
Philadelphia Flyers: 2001-02 to 2003-04
- Games played: 216
- Goals: 67
- Assists: 106
- Points: 173
Los Angeles Kings: 2005-06
- Games played: 58
- Goals: 9
- Assists: 13
- Points: 22
San Jose Sharks: 2007-08 and 2008-09
- Games played: 111
- Goals: 18
- Assists: 28
- Points: 46
Playoff Career Stats
Blackhawks
- 82 games played
- 35 goals
- 42 assists
- 77 points
Coyotes
- 18 games played
- 9 goals
- 9 assists
- 18 points
Flyers
- 36 games played
- 7 goals
- 14 assists
- 21 points
Sharks
- 18 games played
- 2 goals
- 4 assists
- 6 points
Jeremy Roenick: TV Star?
Roenick's impressive resume might not include hockey's Holy Grail but, in at least three years' time, he could potentially join former teammate Luc Robitaille and add "Hall of Famer" to it instead. Until then, few will be surprised if "TV Personality" is included first; after all, he didn't hold back and never found a microphone he didn't like as a player, an attribute that surely will stay with him in retirement.
Other articles of interest:
 |
 |
