Jeremy Roenick Headlines US Induction Class
This year the United States Hockey Hall of Fame will induct American greats, Jeremy Roenick (J.R.), Derian and Kevin Hatcher, along with Art Berglund and Dr. George Nagobads. This is the 38th US induction dinner and is set to take place in Buffalo’s HSBC Arena on October 21st 2010.
US Hockey Hall of Fame
The US Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Minnesota, three hours outside of Minneapolis, and has been in existence since 1973. Excluding 1973 and 1974, the Hall of Fame has been inducting two to four members every year.
Over the past two years, such recognizable names as Cammi Granato, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter, John Leclair, and Tony Amonte have all become members of the exclusive club.
Jeremy Roenick
Roenick was a talent from the very beginning of his amateur hockey career, playing competitively for the first time with the New Jersey Rockets. J.R. led the team to back-to-back state championships, registering 300 points in just 75 games.
Roenick’s family moved back to Boston, and he enrolled in Thayer Academy, where he played with future NHL player and Hall of Fame inductee Tony Amonte. The Amonte-Roenick tandem helped the school win two state championships.
Roenick’s play in high school was so impressive that he was drafted straight out of his senior year. The Chicago Blackhawks chose him 8th overall in the 1988 National Hockey League entry draft.
Roenick spent the following season playing for the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior League, registering incredible numbers, with 70 points in just 28 games. The same year, Roenick earned a spot with the US World Junior team and led the tournament in scoring, on his way to being named tournament MVP.
His incredible junior play earned Roenick a spot on the Blackhawks team the following season. He did not miss a beat, joining Chicago and playing in 20 games, notching 18 points.
Roenick spent the next five seasons with the Blackhawks, posting astonishing numbers, registering four seasons with over 90 points. His strong play culminated in the 1993-94 season, in which he potted 46 goals and 61 assists, for at total of 107 points. This season capped off a terrific career in Chicago and his fourth season in a row scoring over 40 goals.
After the 1994 lockout, Roenick came back to the Hawks for two more seasons before he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes. Roenick experienced success with the Coyotes, but not at the same level as with Chicago. Over his five seasons with the club, his best came in 1999-00 when he scored 34 goals and tallied 78 points.
After Phoenix, Roenick went to the Philadelphia Flyers where he led the team in scoring for two straight years. Despite this success, the Flyers were never able to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Roenick's last four seasons in the league were spent in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Jose, however, on all three teams he was a fringe player. He was no longer the same talent that controlled play in the early 90’s.
Roenick retired on Augusts 9th 2009. He finished his career with 513 goals and 703 points for a total of 1216 points. These numbers give Roenick a good chance of being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada.
After hockey, Roenick used his vibrant personality to procure a job working as a commentator with NBC in the United States. His agreement with NBC afforded him the opportunity to commentate during the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, in which his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks, defeated another one of his former teams the Philadelphia Flyers.
Jeremy Roenick goes down in history as one of the greatest American born hockey players to ever play the game. He is second among all US players in goals, and is the seventh best all-time Blackhawks scorer.
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