JR Should Have Been a Hawk
February 4th, 2008 by FrankJeremy Roenick scores the winning goal in the shootout to continue the Hawks recent slide, putting them at 0-2 on this long 7 game road trip that will more than likely determine their fate for the season. As he was announced as the 5th shooter for the Sharks something told me that he was going to score, and then of course he did ending the game. My 13 year old daughter said, “He can’t do that”. Well, he just did. Proving that he still can be a clutch player when needed. It makes me wonder how different things would have been for the Hawks this year had Roenick been able to sign with them instead of San Jose.
I have been a big supporter of Roenick throughout his entire career and still remember him as a rookie in the playoffs in ‘88 after taking a puck to the face against the Blues, he stayed on the ice and scored what proved to be the winning goal in overtime. I knew at that point he was something special. I was a season ticket holder at that point and from then on every time he came on the ice I inched a bit closer to the edge of my seat. All of us Hawk fans know how quickly he became a fan favorite, and it was partly due to his quick success over the next year or so that the Hawks were to make the trade of Denis Savard for Chris Chelios.
As Roenick became better, he also became more outspoken and colorful, sometimes not for the better, but at least you knew what you were getting with him especially on the ice. All of his talk never really bothered me because I knew that he played the game with 110% effort and intensity. To a fault I am loyal to him and also to Mike Keenan because during their time together and while JR was on the Hawks, the Hawks played the game the way it should be played, and you knew that every night there was a pretty good chance you would see a game that was entertaining and that the Hawks had a pretty good chance of winning. Not only had the Hawks become respectable again, but even more they were a force to be dealt with.
But all good things come to an end, and the moves began. Roenick, Belfour, Chelios the heart and soul of the Blackhawks began leaving town, and the dynamics of the team changed dramatically. I am not going to go into their struggles as we know what they turned out to be. Things just haven’t been the same since, until this year with the addition of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and a few others. My real question though is how much closer in the race would they be with Roenick providing what he has given San Jose?
Couldn’t they have used his leadership, his versatility, his renewed intensity? What also would he have done to help sell the game again in Chicago and help add to the rising attendance? While many people thought that he was washed up, he apparently still has something left as seen by his play with the Sharks. Don’t you think that both Kane and Toews could have benefited from having him as a teammate? The entire Shark organization is very pleased with this version of Jeremy Roenick, as he has scored a few game winning goals, can play on any of the 4 lines, power play, penalty kill, and as the Hawks witnessed be a force in the shootout. I don’t know if the difference would have been dramatic or not, or if it even would have mattered, but I can’t help asking.
From what I understand Roenick’s agent made 2 phone calls last off season. One to the Hawks and one to the Sharks. I wish that Dale Tallon would have returned that call instead of calling Sergie Samsonov, or Yanic Perreault.
Finally, while he may have a better chance to play for the Cup with the Sharks, there is no doubt in my mind that goal number 500 should have been scored with Jeremy Roenick in a Blackhawk sweater!
Thanks for reading.
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