JR being JR before a Sharks game at Philadelphia.

As today is an important day in hockey history, with Jeremy Roenick hanging up his skates after 21 years in the NHL, I decided to live blog the press conference being held in HP Pavilion today.

11:01 - Press Conference Live started. Seems like a pre-game show.

11:02 - Ahhh, echo effect! Okay, they fixed it. It sorta looks like the State of the Sharks. But wow, lots of people.

11:03 - JR promises to talk a lot. I wouldn’t expect anything else.

11:05 - JR’s roommate was DW when he was 18. Not allowed on the scale before the draft since he was so small, he was scared he wouldn’t be drafted.

11:05 - Talking about Mike Keenan’s impact on him – that “crazy son of a bitch.” He’s already crying. Awwww.

11:07 - “Then Chicago got crazy and traded me.”

11:07 - Talking about how he had to help establish the game in Phoenix. Phoenix owner: “Good news! I just bought a house. Bad news, its right next to yours.”

11:09 - He was proud about playing for the Flyers. “And play for Mr. Schneider Who I gave a hug to when he signed me in 200. Not too often you see a player hugging an owner, which I seem to do quite often.”

11:11 - Uh-oh, lockout, LA, and second stint in Phoenix coming.

11:12 – Not apologizing about his play in LA. So happy to play with Robataille.

11:13 - After Phoenix: “Make a couple texts, say I’m retired.”

“And just when I thought it was all over, the great career, a career that I was really proud of, was leaving, and I wasn’t really able to say goodbye to it. And then Doug Wilson called me, I was in a golf tournament, and he asked me to fly down to San JOse and talk with him about maybe coming here to San Jose. I was a little bit overweight by twenty pounds. - Twenty-five. – Twenty-five.”

11:14 - “Doug Wilson and the San Jose Sharks gave me my life back… and most importantly, they gave me my respect back.”

11:15 - Mentioned Thornton, Pavelski, Setoguchi, and Mitchell – specifically mentioning mentor the kids and taking them under his wing. Says Thornton is one of his best friends.

11:15 - Gordie Howe dumped a bunch of snow on JR’s head back in 77 at a Whalers game. Coolest thing in JR’s life, and that moment stuck with him. Resonated his whole life. Since then, he has been trying to do little things to make the same impression on young children – tossing pucks, grabbing popcorn through photo holes, etc. “Don’t ignore them. Give them your time. Give them your energy.”

11:18 - He still loves the game, and still has passion for the game, but knows that he has to end his career.

11:19 - Says he was done talking, but then remembers he forgot to thank people and started talking some more.

11:20 - One of the 23 players to have 500 goals and 700 assists. Gotta be a HHOF member.

11:21 - That Game 7 was amazing. Truly an inspiration.

11:23 - It was how he played the game – Doug Wilson. “Greatest teammate they ever had.” “This is a guy that played the game the right way.” “The pilot light never went out.”

11:24 - “As unfiltered as JR can be sometimes and some of the things he says, it comes from his heart and he always backs it up on the ice.”

11:25 - JR went “all in” when going to San Jose.

11:26 - Compared JR to Ricci in being fearless, and being afraid for his safety just because he always went all-out.

11:27 - DW is now tearing up, which is something you never see.

11:29 - Greg Jamison was a bit hesitant about signing JR, but in a phone call: “I’ll keep my mouth shut. I’m here to play, I’m here to help.” After one year, went to JR and said he was a complete and total man of his word.

11:33 - Ahhh stupid CSN ticker is cutting off some of his highlights video. But man, is it amazing. I hope its on youtube after this, its really well put-together. Song is perfect as well.

11:33 - 6 goals in 6 career game 7s (t-2nd all-time). Amazing; did not know that.

11:34 - Weirdest 500th goal ever, hands down.

11:35 - Dave Ogrean on the phone, USA Hockey Executive Director. Talks about growing up in Boston and the effect of the Miracle on Ice. all-time leading scorer in the World Junior Championships

11:36 - A’s highlights. Great job, CSNBA!

11:38 - JR tearing up right now, really started crying when he heard Mike Modano on the phone.

11:39 - “I knew I had to keep my head up because I knew you were coming for us and trying to take my head off especially.”

11:40 - “Good luck in retirement, I know you’re going to enjoy it, I’m not too far behind, so I’ll be joining you soon.”

11:40 - JR thinks that Modano is the greatest US-born player of all-time, the phone call was the greatest thing ever. “I’m your biggest fan.”

11:42 – Keith Tkachuck on the phone now. “I hope I’m your second favorite player after Mike Modano.” “I love you man, I love you man!”

11:43 - So, Keith Tkachuk is absolutely hilarious. “So just be half as good as Jeremy and you’ll be fine.” Credits JR to helping establish Phoenix on and off the ice.

11:44 - “I can’t figure out what you’re going to do because its either a) Dancing with the Stars or b) you’re going to be the next judge on American Idol.” Got a big laugh.

11:45 - “It’s amazing on how many good lies you had in the woods.” I think Keith Tkachuck just established himself as one of my favorite non-Sharks.

11:46 - “Oh my god, I love you. I love you like my own brother.” “Well you should, you talk to me more than anyone.”

11:46 - Chris Chelios on the phone. He’s getting ready for next year. Finds it hard to believe that JR is retiring.

11:48 - It still amazes me that Chelios is just a year younger than my mom. Geez.

11:50 - “To see someone stand up to Iron Mike like you did as a young player was pretty special.”

11:50 - Haha, talked about JR’s comment about Babcock at the end of this season. Says he got into a bit of trouble from that, but he’s used to it.

11:51 - “Not golf. I hate golf so I won’t see you there.”

11:52 - “I might be retired, I just don’t know it yet.” Okay, Chelios is making me like him.

11:52 - “I call you on a daily basis, even if you don’t answer the phone.”

11:54 - Question time. But why does Kate Longworth have to be first? Why????

11:55 - JR doesn’t think he’s done with hockey. Thinks he might go into management, hopes someone will help him with that *glances at DW* Is thinking about Dancing with the Stars.

11:56 - David Pollak! Asks if he regrets saying anything. JR says that he always spoke from his heart, that he didn’t want to be cliched and generic, because the fans and the media didn’t want to hear that. JR kind of enjoyed being ripped by the media for his quotes.

He never said anything he regretted or would take back.

11:59 – “Whenever I meet someone, I have 2 minutes, I have a handshake, and I have an autograph.”

12:00 - Asked what advice he’d give to an aspiring hockey player – “Don’t be afraid to rock the boat, but do it with respect.” Talks about how teammates make you better, and having fun makes you a star. “Just enjoy it. It goes by really quick.”

12:01 - “I want to be remembered as a warrior.” He hated losing more than he likes winning.

12:02 - Talking about transforming himself as a player, helping the young guys like Pavelski, Mitchell, and Setoguchi. “Joe [Thornton]‘s not a young guy. He’s married and old.”

12:05 - Todd gets to talk, finally. One of his biggest concerns was dealing with JR, he didn’t know what he was getting into. Turned out to be a pleasue to coach, was passionate coming to the ice every day.

12:07 – HAHA JR has the piece of glass that deflected the puck into the goal for his 500th goal. That’s perfect.

12:09 - This past year, JR was soaking up everything, remembering everything.

12:10 - Jody Shelley! Uplink is kind of crappy, but still. All the way from Columbus is pretty special.

12:11 - Shelley talking about how JR just spoke how he felt, that he always told the truth.

12:12 - ROSS MCKEON SHUT UP ABOUT THE PLAYOFF FAILURES!!!

12:12 - I agree with Shelley that it hurt more not winning it for JR than it did just not winning it.

12:12 - Why must Kate be the one interviewing JR post-press conference? Why?

12:13 - JR says it was a great way to go out, but he wishes that he won the Stanley Cup; it will haunt him forever

12:14 - Really appreciates the time he spent in San Jose, he never thought he would get the amount of support he did – its akin to the support in Chicago and Philly.

12:16 - JR regularly hosts dinners for Devin Setoguchi and Torrey Mitchell. They’re going to miss his wife’s cooking. Hilarious.

12:17 - He knew that he should retire – both mind and body told time. He felt that not retiring wouldn’t be right, and he’d be taking away a spot from a young player.

12:18 - His first All Star game was very memorable – at the old Chicago Stadium during the Gulf War. All, the Olympics and winning the silver medal.

12:19 - He hopes that the San Jose fans appreciate his time in teal – don’t worry JR, we do. We really do.

12:20 - He was asked to host some shows, he thinks that the network (CSN) will try to rope him into a job. Right after it cuts to the studio, the anchor re-affirms that and says there will always be a chair available for him.

12:23 - The studio is now analyzing JR’s ability to hold his emotions in check. Once a sports analyst, always a sports analyst.

12:24 - McKeon thinks that broadcast won’t be enough; he sees Roenick as taking up a Ricci-like role in the front office, being close to the players.

12:25 - Press conference is over. Great job by whoever set it up; the speeches from JR, Doug Wilson, and Greg Jamison, as well as the phone calls from Ogrean, Modano, Tkachuk, and Chelios. Almost made me tear up a couple of times.

Really, what else can be said? Jeremy Roenick is one of those players who you never see retiring, a player that has ingrained himself so much into the league that it will be weird without his name being mentioned because of one reason or another. He was in the league since before I was born, before my favorite team even existed. His outspoken personality and willingness to run over anyone in his path has made him one of the bigger characters in the league, as well as one of the highest-scoring.

JR scores a goal in OT to send the Flyers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2004

In his 20 year career, Jeremy Roenick made an impact that few players ever have. He became an icon in Chicago, beloved in Philly, and resurrected his career in San Jose. He had two consecutive 50 goal seasons, and three consecutive 100 point seasons. His career scoring line is 513-703-1216, one that is matched by few players. He was voted as one of the greatest video game stars ever for his role in NHL 94, and was famously name-checked by Vince Vaughn playing that very game in Swingers: “It’s not so much me as it’s Roenick. He’s good.”

Despite Hall-worthy stats, what Roenick is most famous for his big mouth. He has never had that mental block, always stating what was on his mind no matter what it was. However, it wasn’t malicious or self-promoting like what Sean Avery might do; it was just Roenick saying what he thought. Of course, the most memorable happens to be when the retaliation is the funnier bit:

“I liked Patrick’s quote, he would have stopped me. I wanted to know where he was in Game 3. He was probably getting his jock out of the rafters of the United Center.”
“I can’t really hear what Jeremy says, because I’ve got my two Stanley Cup rings plugged in my ears.”

There was probably only one thing JR liked more than talking, and that was dancing. He dances with Luc Robataille, on top of tables, and likely even Dancing with the Stars (news came out yesterday that he was in talks with the show). “You Should Be Dancing,” by the Bee Gees, was the most often culprit, with three separate Youtube videos – here, here, and (the most famous) below:

The iconic numbers he wears – 27 with the Blackhawks and Sharks, 97 with the Flyers, Kings, and Coyotes – also helps define him. 97 is Roenick’s number; only two other players in the history of the NHL have worn it. In international competitions (and All Star Games), Joe Thornton wears number 97 out of respect for Roenick because his normal number 19 is usually taken. In Chicago, “Roenick 27″ is almost as recognizable as “Jordan 23,” despite the lack of three-peats and the like.

No Kings jersey pictured because there wasn’t an image of one

Of course, you can’t mention Roenick without his dark moments, and he did have quite a few. The entire lockout, for one, alienated him from the fans after he attempted to get the Flyers to pay him due to a concussion, as well as his disparaging remarks towards the fans. His completely lackluster play as part of the Kings and his second stint with the Coyotes caused a lot of fans to dislike him. Once, during a game he was scratched, instead of staying in the arena like he was supposed to, he watched the game in a local bar.

Resurrection with the Sharks

After two sub-par years with Los Angeles and Phoenix, Roenick was ready to hang his skates up, going as far as texting a Philly reporter, “I’m retiring; is that still news?” But after a round of golf with his old teammate and current Sharks GM Doug Wilson, he was convinced to come back for one more year, with Wilson saying that JR “deserved better.”

In that 2007-2008 season, JR reinvented himself into a third/fourth line grinder and a leader in the locker room, with nary a controversial comment. He scored 14 goals, with an amazing 10 of them being game winners – good for second in the league after the Rocket Richard winning Ovechkin. He was clutch in the shootouts, and provided a veteran presence in what was the youngest team in the NHL. He had a franchise-record Game 7 in the Calgary series, scoring two goals and two assists. Oh, and he scored his 500th goal, becoming the third American and 40th overall to do so.

This past year, JR had some trouble with injuries. The first time he was injured, it was off a Brett Festerling hit in the December 11 game against Anaheim, in the second period. His shoulder was dislocated, but there was no call on the play. In true JR style, he went back into the locker room, got his shoulder popped back into its socket, and didn’t miss a shift the next period. He was out for the next 28 games. I still point to the game right after that one as the point where the Sharks stopped playing the way they did during the early part of the season, where they had the record-setting pace and simply could not lose.

I was lucky enough to attend the game he returned from his first injury; February 21, a day game against the Atlanta Thrashers. On his very first shift he went out to take a faceoff, and the Tank erupted into applause. And I don’t mean a smattering of applause akin to the opera’s reception in Citizen Kane, but full-on cheering that could be mistaken for a goal or a great fight. The Sharks had a lot of players injured for long periods of time this past season, and none of them got quite the same reception as JR did.

Later in that game, Roenick had a 2-on-1 break with Cheechoo, and dished an amazing pass to Cheech for a goal to extend the Sharks’ lead. Everyone stood and cheered like any other goal. After the crowd was seated, the PA announced that it was his 700th assist. The applause grew louder and louder, until everyone was on their feet, giving him a standing ovation. I’ve been to playoff games, games with OT goals and amazing comebacks, and I have to say that moment ranked up with the loudest I’ve heard the Tank get. JR did that.

What puts the cherry on top was Roenick’s comments after the game; he stated that there was no better player to get the goal for his 700th assist than Cheechoo, especially since Cheechoo had been having trouble scoring.

A younger, less-scarred Roenick

I was also fortunate enough to attend Roenick’s second-to-last game in Chicago, a November 16 game I rationalized traveling to because I needed to go on college visits. Taking my seats adorned in my blank teal Sharks jersey, I looked around, amazed at the number of Roenick jerseys. The couple we sat behind was actually adorned in the iconic number 27 sweaters. And watching the Sharks warm up, a small kid wearing a Sharks jersey walked up to the glass near a photo hole. JR went right towards the kid and started talking to him, even playing a game of thumb war through the photo hole. He ended up scoring his first goal of the season in that game.

He established himself as a fan favorite in San Jose, much like he did in his other stops around the league, as a guy who would contribute to the locker room and on the ice, and as a guy who definitely knows how to play towards the crowd.

It breaks my heart as a Sharks fan that the Sharks were unable to win the Cup; not just for the team, but for JR. There is no doubt in my mind that he will go down as one of the greatest players to never win a Stanley Cup, and that is a shame. Here’s to hoping that he will sign on as a front office guy with a team and get his name on the Cup that way; he has earned it. Of course, that’s if ESPN or any one of the dozens of CSN broadcast teams snatch him up first.

Here’s to Jeremy Roenick, one of the all-time greats in both skill and personality. His presence on the ice will be missed by future generations who won’t ever experience what it was like with JR on the loose.