Jeremy Roenick May Play Forever
April 13, 2009 – 11:00 am by Will Brinson
Jeremy Roenick of the San Jose Sharks was drafted eighth overall in 1988. To put that more bluntly: he’s been in the NHL and around hockey for a loooooooooong time. Which means that he knows a whole hell of a lot about what matters in the playoffs, how to go after Stanley Cups, and what the difference makers are in hockey’s postseason.
And he chatted with KNBR in San Francisco recently about just that, particularly the importance of having a great goalie behind a team, the difference between the postseason and regular season, and just how tough it is to win a Stanley Cup.
On the feeling on having a great goalie behind you:
“In playoff hockey, your goaltender is your most important piece and we have one of the best in the league, one of the best in the world and he’s shown that under pressure and in big situations he’s gonna come through for us.”
What’s one thing that happens in the playoffs that’s different than the regular season:
“What you might not know is that a lot of guys sleep in hotels, even at home, just to get away from all the distractions of what family and home life can bring and to concentrate on just playing hockey. Obviously, we don’t get paid in the playoffs. The paychecks stop on Saturday and we play for pride and we play for winning a championship and that’s usually when the best hockey is played. It says something about a hockey players mentality about what’s important.”
On how tough winning the Stanley Cup is:
“What’s unbelievable is what people don’t see from the outside. It is, without a doubt, the hardest trophy to win. There’s no question, of any sport. But if you saw behind the scenes how many bags of ice are packed onto guys, there are guys before games getting needles into their bodies, freezing certain body parts that are either broken or bruised or pulled or whatever the case may be. It is amazing what guys will do in order to get out and play.”
Listen to Jeremy Roenick on KNBR San Francisco
Tags: hockey, Jeremy Roenick, NHL, San Jose Sharks
