Since the Chicago Blackhawks' training camp is still three weeks away, I figured this would be a good time to look at the Chicago Blackhawks' past.
So I have decided to start a new series called "Remembering the Roar," in which I look at past Blackhawks greats (mostly from the '90s) and describe how they left their mark on the city of Chicago.
The topic of this edition of "Remembering the Roar" is Jeremy Roenick. Roenick was the star of the Chicago Blackhawks from 1989-1996, when he posted 267 goals (two 50+ goal seasons), 329 assists, and 596 points.
For a lot of players, that would be a good career, but that was only seven seasons of Jeremy Roenick's, dare I say, Hall of Fame career.
Roenick also lead the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup finals in 1992 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the first time the Blackhawks had reached the finals since 1973.
In 1992-1993, Roenick won the Chicago Sports Profiles Humanitarian of the Year Award. Roenick was a hard-nosed player in Chicago, and Blackhawks fans loved his hard play; he was the type of guy fans wanted to go out and have a beer with.
Recently, when Roenick hit the free agent market in 2007, many Blackhawks fans didn't want to see Roenick back. I was one of the few that stood up and said we need Roenick.
He would have been a great veteran presence in the Blackhawks' lineup and could have helped in the mentoring of Jonathan Toews. Roenick could have talked to Toews about what it is like to be a star in the Blackhawks sweater.
But Roenick will always have a special place in my heart because the first hockey season I can remember was the 1995-1996 season, Roenick's final season with the Blackhawks.
After Roenick was traded by the Blackhawks to the Coyotes for Alexei Zhamnov and Craig Mills, I seemed to loose interest in the game because I did not know much about team loyalty. I was eight-years old; give me a break.
But as I got older, I became a huge fan of the game and solidified my allegiance with the Chicago Blackhawks rather than with a single player. Which, in my opinion, makes you a better hockey fan.
Blackhawks fans and Jeremy Roenick both got a special treat when the Chicago Blackhawks played the San Jose Sharks on Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull night.
Roenick had a pregame interview with Chicago Sports Net, in which he talked about how much Chicago meant to him, and that he is happy for the Blackhawks and their young stars.
Roenick and Toews took the ceremonial faceoff that was dropped by Hull and Mikita, in which Roenick was cheered for taking part in the ceremony.
Although Roenick has been out of Chicago for nearly 12 years now, he has not left the hearts of many Blackhawks fans, especially me.
2 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
MJ Kasprzak 9 months ago
Yes, you DARE say Hall of Fame. I mean, c'mon, the dude has 500 goals! You really went out on a limb there, LOL!
JR was one of my favourites with the 'Hawks, who were my team until they stopped competing (from WI). I am looking forward to seeing what they can do with their young talent, and they have a couple of ex-Badgers to make it all the more interesting.
Now that I have moved out here to the Bay Area, it was easy to adopt the Sharks, even though I did it in the one year they missed the playoffs (2002-3?). I was glad we got him, and glad we kept him. Here's hoping he is this season's Ray Bourque!
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Michael Wagner 9 months ago
Yeah I know he is a hall of famer...maybe one day the #27 will be in the rafters too. He did a lot for Chicago.
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