Jeremy Roenick says 2004 Flyers should have won the Cup, credits Doug Wilson for saving his life in HOF speech

Roenick, who played for the Flyers from 2001-04, was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Monday in his 13th year of eligibility.

Jeremy Roenick, pictured with the Flyers in 2004, was an All-Star in all three of his seasons in Philadelphia.Read moreJOHN COSTELLO / Inquirer Staff Photographer

by Gustav Elvin

Published Nov. 12, 2024, 6:03 p.m. ET

Jeremy Roenick was rarely — if ever — at a loss for words during his banner 20-year NHL career.

From his highlight-reel goals to the blond highlights in his hair to the confidence or cockiness he exuded in interviews, “J.R.” was a larger-than-life personality who walked the walk on the ice and was more than happy to talk the talk off it. Therefore, it was fitting that a career showman, who embraced the limelight and celebrity that came with being a professional athlete more than anyone else, was tasked with speaking last and closing the show Monday at the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Toronto.

Roenick didn’t disappoint.

After telling The Inquirer last week that his induction speech would run the gamut of emotions and would far exceed the allotted five minutes, Roenick delivered on both fronts with a 15-minute speech that included several thank yous, plenty of laughs, maybe even more tears, and also him trying to make amends for past mistakes.

It was the culmination of a career that spanned 1,363 games across five teams, including the Flyers, and yielded 513 goals, 1,216 points, 1,463 penalty minutes, nine All-Star appearances, countless highlights and controversies, and an Olympic silver medal. It also marked a moment that Roenick had grown increasingly worried would not happen after 12 years of waiting by the phone for a call that never came. That call finally came this past June, 16 years after Roenick’s last NHL game, and on Monday, Roenick’s words and emotions were filled with gratitude and appreciation.

Roenick began by recognizing South Jersey’s Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed in August by an alleged drunk driver, saying that “the hockey world will never be the same” and offering his condolences to their families. He moved on to his early bantam days with the New Jersey Rockets, thanking his family, including his late father, before remembering his high school career at Massachusetts prep power Thayer Academy, where he teamed up with future Chicago Blackhawks and Flyers teammate Tony Amonte.

Then there was a funny story about meeting former Flyers coach Mike Keenan, who was then coaching the Blackhawks, in a bathroom the night before the 1988 draft. Roenick said Keenan asked him, “Do you have any [guts]?” and Roenick responded, “Enough to play for you.” Roenick was picked No. 8 overall by Chicago that year, with Roenick crediting the chance bathroom encounter with “Iron Mike” as the deciding factor.

Roenick recognized former teammates, friends, and mentors from each of his five stops, including stars like Chris Chelios, whom he called his “hero,” Denis Savard, Keith Tkachuk, Luc Robitaille, and Joe Thornton. And then it was on to remember his three seasons in Philly, a city where he told The Inquirer last week, “We just matched.”

“What a pleasure it was for me to go to Philly to play in front of the fans that cheered exactly like I played, with passion and emotion and pride and sometimes physicality,” Roenick said. “Mr. Snider, thank you very much. You’re one of the best owners of all time in any sport. Rex [Mark Recchi], Preems [Keith Primeau], Johnny LeClair, Chris Therien, and [Robert] Esche, we should have won the Cup in 2004. That was the best team that I’ve ever been on. Philly, I’m sorry we didn’t bring a Cup back there, but I love you.”

Roenick famously scored the series-clinching overtime goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs to send the Flyers to the 2004 conference finals. The Flyers lost to John Tortorella’s Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the Stanley Cup in seven games.

But the most emotional moment of the night came when Roenick got to his stop in San Jose with the Sharks. Fighting back tears, Roenick explained that sitting on 496 goals and without NHL offers on the table, “depression and heavy drinking had set in.” But then Sharks general manager Doug Wilson, who was Roenick’s first roommate in Chicago, threw him a lifeline.

“[Wilson] asked me if I’d like to come play for the Sharks. I said, ‘Hell yes.’ ‘OK,’ he said, ‘but I have three rules. One, you have to play for the league minimum. Two, no media unless we ask you to,’ which was very hard. ‘And number three, no alcohol.’ I dumped the beer I had in my hand out and immediately shook his hand.

“And I scored my 500th goal three months later. Thank you, Doug Wilson, for being a great friend, but more importantly for being a friend when I needed it the most. I would not be up here, and I don’t mean up here [on stage], if it wasn’t for you. You truly saved my life.”

The moment was greeted by a resounding round of applause.

The USA Hockey legend then thanked all the trainers for being the “true champions” of the NHL for their work behind the scenes before moving on to his two children, Brett and Brandi, thanking them for their support and always believing in him. He thanked his wife, Tracy, for her “unconditional love” and for her role as “the Hall of Famer” of their family.

He saved a few words for the fans, both those who rooted for and against him over the years.

“Thank you to the fans all over the world. I loved playing in front of you. I loved lifting you out of your seat. I loved having you yell at me and boo me, that was the greatest compliment you can ever have because, without the fans, we would just be a local hockey league in a local rink with a designated beer guy.”

Roenick closed with an apology and some self-reflection, seemingly referencing some of his mistakes in his post-playing career, namely the lewd comments that saw him fired from his analyst gig at NBC Sports in 2020.

“I had a lightbulb moment, some say a higher power moment. I realized I’m not special because I played in the National Hockey League,” Roenick said. “What makes one special is how one chooses to live their life, a life of honesty, loyalty, and integrity. With all we have, we have lots of decisions in life, and there are consequences to every decision, some good, some bad.

“I’ve learned you have to be present in these moments. You have to stop, analyze, and decide, keeping the ones that you love and the ones that love you in mind with every decision. Better decisions will not only make your life better, but I think it will also make the world a better place. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you to the Hall of Fame. Thank you to all my friends. This is a great way to end this chapter of my life, and I couldn’t be more humble and more grateful. Thank you.”