Roenick - a Philly favorite - retires from NHL
A great American hockey player and a Philly favorite bid adieu to the game, fittingly, on America
"I'm retiring; is that still news?" Jeremy Roenick told The Inquirer by text message.
Roenick, 37, leaves the game after 18 years.
Roenick, who played center, appeared in 70 games last season with
His career spanned 1,252 games. He scored 495 goals and added 675 assists for 1,170 points, and made one trip to the Stanley Cup Final: in 1992, when his Chicago Blackhawks were swept by Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins in four games.
Among U.S.-born players, he is ranked third in goals behind Mike Modano (507) and Joey Mullen (502).
Roenick was a guy who poured every ounce of being into being a hockey player, having played through numerous serious concussions and even a fractured jaw as a Flyer.
When the Flyers lost in Game 7 of the 2004 Eastern Conference final to
"It hurts so much," he sobbed.
It was the last game Roenick played as a Flyer. The lockout ensued that summer, wiping out the following season.
He spent three seasons as a Flyer, beginning in 2001. He was traded the summer the lockout ended to clear cap space for the signing of Peter Forsberg in free agency. His career moment here was his overtime goal in Game 6 against
in ’04 that sent the Flyers to the conference championship against
.
When play resumed in the fall of 2005, Roenick got a new start in
On the other hand, he has become an entrepreneur in recent years with his nightclub, the Muze Lounge in
"We’re doing a booming business," he said in an interview with the Inquirer in March. "We’re going to open up in
The former Blackhawk, Flyer and L.A. King and two-time Olympian has been in the twilight of his career for a while now.
"I'm strolling into retirement with a smile on my face, regardless of how things happened this year, or how much I played. I've beaten my body up to its biggest end," he said.
He was a player who could laugh at himself. Kissing a teammate on the bench. Gyrating to music during a stoppage of play on the ice. Shooting pucks at a cup of beer along the glass, then giving the patron money to pay for it after he knocked it off from inside the rink.
In the dressing room, he was known for his bombastic personality, dance routines before games, outrageous quotes, occasional whining, and a penchant for trading one-liners with anyone who was game.
Perhaps the most famous exchange of his career came with Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy during the Western Conference playoffs in 1996 between
After mocking
Years later, Roenick recalled the moment in
He also said some stupid things. Upset that he wasn’t picked for the 2006 Olympic team that later bombed in
Roenick plans to spend more time with his 13-year-old daughter, Brandi, who, like her mother, Tracy, is an accomplished equestrian.
He has also said he'd like to try acting and sports broadcasting, both of which he dabbled in during the later years of his career.
Contact staff writer Tim Panaccio at 215-854-2847 or tpanaccio@phillynews.com.