Jeremy Roenick has been playing
in the NHL for nearly two decades. This
nine-time NHL
All Star hopes
to lead the San Jose Sharks to the one thing that is missing in his
storied career - A Stanley
Cup title. Kidzworld
caught up with the outspoken star last month at the EA NHL 09 Launch
event in Vancouver, Canada!
Gerald:
There were reports you might retire after last season. What made you
sign for another year with the Sharks? Jeremy Roenick: I had so much fun last year playing with
an organization that was as good as San Jose. It's just a first class
organization. You know, I want that one last chance to win a Stanley Cup - it's very important to me. If they're
still gonna pay you and they're still gonna want you around then you
might as well give it a shot. It's gonna be an interesting year
for me.
Gerald:
A lot of people feel last year the Sharks had all the tools to win the
Cup. How disappointing was it to fall short of expectations? Jeremy Roenick: Well it's disappointing every year when
you lose your last game of the season. Everyone's goal is to make sure
that they win that last game of the year. To do that, you know you're
a champion. I haven't been able to do that in
20 years, and that's a frustrating thing for me. Especially last
year, we just underachieved. So hopefully we learned from and come back
this year and improve on those goals that we have. We have the
team, we have the capabilities, it's just putting it all together.
Gerald:
You have been around for nearly two decades. What is your secret for
lasting so long? Jeremy Roenick: It has been two decades. This year is 21 years
actually. If they take away the lockout year, but it's still
one year off my life. Its still one year that I was part of hockey league. So this will be 21 years for
me and it's amazing how the game has evolved and how the game has generated
such great talent. Nowadays, the kids look so much younger. Everybody
is in so much better shape. It's amazing to me to see how talented
these kids are these days. Even as a player, I'm baffled at watching
the development and how the game has evolved.
Gerald:
So is that the reason you have lasted so long, because you have adapted
your game? Jeremy Roenick: You know they keep me young. They keep me
energized and they push me to be better as a player, person and professional. That's what
you want. You want people to push you and make you as good as you possibly
can. It's been a good ride for me.
Gerald: You've played
with guys like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux
in the past How does a guy like Sidney Crosby stack up? Jeremy Roenick: Like I said, the generations of superstars has
definitely changed. If you look at Sidney
Crosby in terms
of his physique, in terms of his physical stature and his body
how it's chiseled and shaped. It makes Gretzky and Lemieux look like
the Pillsbury Doughboys. I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing. Nobody
dominated the game like Mario and Gretzky did and I don't think anyone will
do it again. Those guys are the elite athletes that will probably
never be touched again in terms of the way they controlled the sport.
But Sidney and to play in a game that is talented as it is today to
have that much of a level - it is amazing to watch. I would really
be interested to see how Sidney would have fared in the '80s. He might
have scored 250 points probably.
Gerald:
What has been your favorite moment of your career? Jeremy Roenick: I think the most memorable moment was playing
in the Olympics, playing the Canadian team in the
gold medal game. Even though we came up short, but
still, it was a rivalry of generations. The way the United States
got to that elite level, where we can compete with the Russians, the
Swedes, the Canadians. We made ourselves an international powerhouse
and it all came together in 2002. All the years we built from the middle
'80s. We finally caught up and we were in the spotlight. It was a one
goal game with five minutes left, until Joe Sakic took over and that
was it. But that was probably the most memorable moment for me.
Gerald:
What is your favorite road city to play in? Jeremy Roenick: I would have to say Philadelphia. Playing
there and now watching what it's like for other teams to play there
it is a riot with the fans, it's very difficult. The toughest
play for me to play in? I would say Detroit because they're just
so good to play, you knew you had to be on your game to win.
Gerald:
When you're not playing or training. What do you do on
your down time? Jeremy Roenick: I play a lot of golf. Spend a lot of time
with my kids. My kid's a big golfer, my daughter is an equestrian. She's the number one ranked equestrian in North America, so I'm on the road
a lot with her. And we love to travel!
Gerald:
We have seen you do broadcasting work with The Best Damn Sports Show.
Is there broadcasting in your future? Jeremy Roenick: You know it's possible. I have a couple of
opportunities that are going to open up to me. Whether it's going
to be sports shows or analyzing, or me having my own show. radio is
a big possibility, maybe Sirius Radio. Yeah I mean I'd like to
be on TV in some aspect, so we'll see what
happens. I'm still playing one more year, so hopefully that works out
well.
Gerald:
Being from Boston, are you a big Patriots, Celtics and Red Sox fan? Jeremy Roenick: Huge! I'm with all Boston teams. I'm a huge
Patriots fan. I'm very disappointed my boy Brady is out for the year - it's going to
be a long year for us.
