By URIAH KISER
DALE CITY, Va. — On the day NHL players and league officials broke the ice on a new deal to end a nearly five month player lockout, one of the greatest to ever play the game came to Dale City to give back.
All-Star Jeremy Roenick came to the Prince William Ice Center to coach a game from the bench, skate with fans, sign gear, and to inspire the next generation of hockey lovers.
Roenick grew up in Fairfax County where his love of hockey took root. While playing for teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, and Los Angeles Kings, Roenick, a now retired TV hockey analyst, is one of only four U.S.-born players to ever score over 500 goals in his NHL career.
Roenick said the Prince William Ice Center was impressive.
“We didn’t have anything like this. This arena is spectacular. Hockey was just getting going [when growing up in Fairfax], but I think with the emergence of guys like [Washington Capital’s Alexander] Ovechkin, hockey is getting more popular,” said Roenick.
The All-Star is six feet tall and he towered over children who were wearing hockey gear, jerseys, and carrying sticks. Roenick spent an hour signing his autograph on whatever the children and their parents handed him. Then he put on his skates and got out onto the ice where once again the pro was swarmed by fans.
“It’s nice that they’re out as kids, and this gives them something to do. There exploring a competitive aspect to their lives, teaching them about the trials and tribulations of not just sports but life: you have to overcome adversity and overcome different things in their lives,” said Roenick.
Trials and tribulations are something the hockey star knows something about. In a previous player lockout during the 2004 and 2005 season, Roenick took heat when he lashed out at fans who said hockey players had become spoiled. He later made waves when he claimed he was excluded from the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, he got attention when he said an NLH coach was biased against American-born players, and was later tied to a nationwide gambling ring.
He retired from the NHL in 2009 having scored 513 goals, 703 assists, playing in more than 1,300 games. Roenick talks about those experiences in his new book, “J.R.: My Life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless, and Hard-Hitting Man in hockey.” It’s a story he’s never told before.
“Everybody knows what I did on the ice. I tried to tell people what life was like for me away from the rink, in the locker rooms, on the planes, in the restaurants, in the bars, with my friends and my family, and my relationships. I think that’s what people want to know. They see one thing when you play but they want to know about the person, too. I think that’s intimacy I brought to the book,” said Roenick.
He signed copies of the book on Sunday, and his presence brought nearly 400 people to the Prince William Ice Center – a larger than usual crowd for a Sunday.
The center itself is on the rebound. A snow storm in 2010 led to the collapse of the center’s roof. Remarkably, everyone who was inside on the day it collapsed made it out without injury. But the center was ruined.
The absence of a hockey rink left many children without a place to play, and league hockey teams without a home. But the owners were undeterred and rebuilt the center better than it was before, and in late September 2011 reopened the doors. They credit a strong hockey brand in the area, as well as great community relationships with being able to attract top talent appear at their center, and to their overall second time around success.
“Bigger and better than ever… we got a plan, we have focused on our plan…we’ve made the right investments and the right relationships… our program is as big as it’s ever been…” said Prince William Hockey Club President Randy Wood.
When Roenick eventually got off the ice to sign copies of his book, some children still remained skating. It’s them who will carry on the love of the ice.
“Whether any of them ever make it to the pros, it’s an extreme long shot, but there’s always that diamond in the rough,” said Roenick.
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