I tell a story about how Jeremy Roenick interacts with fans this afternoon on CSNPhilly.com.
What impressed me most about JR was that fans truly interacted with him and loved him and he loved them back.
I never heard a person say they were turned down for autographs. I have had people tell me how JR reached out to them to help them in times of need. I have had people tell me of his unexpected kindness when he saw them or surprised them at their place of business.
Here's some words from JR that I feel will resonate with every fan of hockey. It was taken from his presser today in San Jose in which JR officially announced his retirement after 20 years:
“I want to tell you a story why I am the way I am,” JR began. “I lived in Hartford, Conn. and used to go watch the Hartford Whalers all the time.”
His story concerned Gordie Howe and the Whalers when JR was 7-years-old and first saw Howe. During warm-ups, Howe picked up a pile of snow off the ice and threw it over the glass on top of JR’s head.
“I thought that was the coolest thing that ever happened in my whole life,” Roenick said. “Then he skated around and looked at me again and winked. It took three seconds. It was me, Gordie Howe and no one else … That moment stuck with me for years and years and years.
“I know what that made me feel like,” he said. “It was little, it was small and it took nothing out of his power or time but it resonated [with me] my whole life. So, as a player, as I got older, I tried to reach out to fans, reach out to kids whether on the ice or on the street on in a restaurant …
“I try to do little things where I can make the same impression on a young child that Gordie Howe made on me. That’s a gift that was given to me. And I made sure I did it, every, single day. Without the fans, without their support, the NHL would be nothing, the NFL would be nothing, basketball, baseball, you name it right down the line ...”
“The two or three seconds you give each day to make sure you appreciate the people who appreciate you, goes a long way.”
All you HockeyBuzzers out there ... that is the essence of Jeremy Roenick.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»