Sharks Sign Veteran Jeremy Roenick

I know the guy who drew the old Sharks logo. This one's cool too.

Every great team has the obligatory loudmouth and/or hotheaded player*. The Warriors, hopefully a soon-to-be great team, have Stephen Jackson. When the 49ers were still in playoff contention, they had T.O. The Kobe and Shaq Laker days had, well, Kobe. Now it's time to throw the Sharks into the mix.

Enter Jeremy Roenick, a 37-year old center, who signed with the Sharks today for one more shot at the Cup. He's been a great player in his 18-year career: an All Star nine different times, a two-time US Olympian, and a 495-goal scorer, trailing only Mike Modano and Joey Mullen for most goals scored by an American-born player. His mouth, however, seems to be more famous than his achievements. He's made more than a few criticisms about the US team, fans, and other players.



When fans were accusing hockey players about being "spoiled":

We're going to try to make it better for everybody, period, end of subject. And if you don't realize that, then don't come. We don't want you at the rink, we don't want you in the stadium, we don't want you to watch hockey... I say personally, to everybody who called us 'spoiled,' you guys are just jealous ... we have tried so, so hard to get this game back on the ice.

Everybody out there who calls us spoiled because we play "a game", they can kiss my ass. They can all kiss my ass.

When he was not selected to be a member of the US hockey team:

I know nobody on that team has more points in the National Hockey League than me. So if they want to go that way, good luck... [t]o not have the opportunity to go back one more time and try and win the gold is obviously, in my opinion, very disrespectful.

When talking to the media after Game 3 of the 1996 Western Conference semis between the Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche:

I'd like to know where Patrick was in Game 3 (a game in which Roenick had scored on Patrick Roy), probably up trying to get his jock out of the rafters.

Despite all the controversy around him, he seems like he’s an outgoing guy. He sings along with the music played in the arena during a game, dances, and makes jokes about his whiteness.

Reading his bio, I’m actually starting to like Roenick. I don’t mind his snarky comments since he brings toughness and veteran savvy** to the Sharks that could advance them further into the playoffs. He’ll probably become one of the more vocal leaders on the team, even though he said he’ll tone it down a little bit. I’m hoping that his critical eye helps keep the team focused, but not lead to any distractions on and off the ice.

Here’s one more quote about him, this time from coach Ron Wilson:

You bring in guys that are at the end of their run, and they don't want to look back and have any regrets. Nobody can question Jeremy's willingness to compete. ... We're building on the experience we had last year. We had some success, but Jeremy — certainly one thing about him, he's not tentative. He'll run over his best friend if he has to.

* Every team except the San Antonio Spurs. Those guys just keep plodding along, winning championships every other year.

** “Veteran savvy” should be read with a positive connotation in mind. Damn Sabean for corrupting an otherwise acceptable phrase.