By: Simon
Jeremy Roenick has been playing in the NHL for nearly two decades. This nine-time NHL All Star hopes to lead the San Jose Sharks to the one thing that is missing in his storied career - A Stanley Cup title! Kidzworld caught up with the outspoken star last month at the EA NHL 09 Launch event in Vancouver, Canada!
Simon: There were reports you might retire after last season. What made you sign for another year with the Sharks?
Jeremy Roenick: I had so much fun last year playing with an organization that was as good as San Jose. It's just a first class organization. You know, I want that one last chance to win a Stanley Cup - it's very important to me. If they're still gonna pay you and they're still gonna want you around then you might as well give it a shot. It's gonna be an interesting year for me.
Simon: A lot of people feel last year the Sharks had all the tools to win the Cup. How disappointing was it to fall short of expectations?
Jeremy Roenick: Well it's disappointing every year when you lose your last game of the season. Everyone's goal is to make sure that they win that last game of the year. To do that, you know you're a champion. I haven't been able to do that in 20 years, and that's a frustrating thing for me. Especially last year, we just underachieved. So hopefully we learned from and come back this year and improve on those goals that we have. We have the team, we have the capabilities, it's just putting it all together.
Simon: You have been around for nearly two decades. What is your secret for lasting so long?
Jeremy Roenick: It has been two decades. This year is 21 years actually. If they take away the lockout year, but it's still one year off my life. Its still one year that I was part of hockey league. So this will be 21 years for me and it's amazing how the game has evolved and how the game has generated such great talent. Nowadays, the kids look so much younger. Everybody is in so much better shape. It's amazing to me to see how talented these kids are these days. Even as a player, I'm baffled at watching the development and how the game has evolved.
Simon: So is that the reason you have lasted so long, because you have adapted your game?
Jeremy Roenick: You know they keep me young. They keep me energized and they push me to be better as a player, person and professional. That's what you want. You want people to push you and make you as good as you possibly can. It's been a good ride for me.
Simon: You've played with guys like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux in the past How does a guy like Sidney Crosby stack up?
Jeremy Roenick: Like I said, the generations of superstars has definitely changed. If you look at Sidney Crosby in terms of his physique, in terms of his physical stature and his body how it's chiseled and shaped. It makes Gretzky and Lemieux look like the Pillsbury Doughboys. I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing. Nobody dominated the game like Mario and Gretzky did and I don't think anyone will do it again. Those guys are the elite athletes that will probably never be touched again in terms of the way they controlled the sport. But Sidney and to play in a game that is talented as it is today to have that much of a level - it is amazing to watch. I would really be interested to see how Sidney would have fared in the '80s. He might have scored 250 points probably.
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