And now, we bid Jeremy Roenick farewell.
After a 20-year career that included stops all over the hockey-playing universe -- including some of the most storied franchises in the game -- Jeremy Roenick is set to announce his retirement today at the age of 39. Roenick played in nine All-Star games, scored over 500 goals and won a silver medal with the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, but he never managed to win a Stanley Cup.
Roenick's most recent contributions to the sport came in San Jose, where he helped a Sharks team dominate its home ice in 2008-09 before being eventually bounced from the playoffs. Much before that, Roenick's first career stop took him to Chicago, where he was frequently the best player on a resurgent early-'90s Blackhawks team. He was eventually traded to the Phoenix Coyotes, where he served as the team's main attraction (alongside owner-coach Wayne Gretzky) for years.
Other stops including the Philadelphia Flyers, where Roenick played from 2001-2005, as well the L.A. Kings, a one-year stopover in Phoenix, and his final stop, as a third-line center for an uber-talented San Jose Sharks team.
Roenick should perhaps be remembered for his comments to fans during the 1994-95 lockout. When media attention intensified, and many accused players of greed, Roenick accused fans of being jealous and told them to his "kiss his ass." He also said he hoped fans that felt this way would stop watching hockey and stop attending games; these are not the things an ambassador of the sport does. Roenick's reputation is that of an outspoken hothead. It is a reputation he deserves.
Still, it is unfortunate that a 20-year man like Roenick couldn't end his career on a high note, that he could never find that elusive Stanley Cup. But such is hockey, and life. We'll remember Roenick anyway.
Eamonn Brennan is a Chicago-based writer, editor and blogger. You can also read him at Yahoo! Sports, Mouthpiece Sports Blog, and Inside The Hall, or at his personal site, eamonnbrennan.com. Follow him on Twitter.
