Jeremy Roenick is one of the best American-born players ever, and he holds a special place in the hearts of many Chicago Blackhawks fans. But not everyone knows exactly how he ended up being drafted by the Blackhawks back in 1988.
During his 20-year NHL career, Jeremy Roenick made a name for himself as a complete player. Jeremy Roenick could score, he could set up teammates, and he was tough as nails. He also became extremely popular among teammates thanks to his pranks and outgoing personality. In fact, it was his social skills that helped get him drafted in the first place.
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How Jeremy Roenick got drafted
In 1988, Mike Keenan had been fired by the Philadelphia Flyers and soon landed a job as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. Keenan assembled the staff he wanted and headed to the 1988 NHL Draft, which took place at the Forum in Montreal. In his book, Iron Mike: My Life Behind the Bench, he recalls an encounter from the night before the draft.
”I was still pissing”
“We were in a restaurant the night before, something I would always do with the staff and the scouts. I went to have a leak and was standing at the urinal when I got a tap on the shoulder while I was still pissing. I looked around and there was a young guy standing there. ‘You better draft me tomorrow,’ he said. I said, ‘Who are you?’ He said, ‘I’m Jeremy Roenick.’ Soon I learned that was a typical Jeremy move,” Keenan writes.
“We chatted for a few minutes in the bathroom, and I asked him why I should draft him. He said, ‘If you want someone to go through a wall for you, I’m the guy,’” Keenan continues.
The very next day, Roenick was drafted eighth overall by the Blackhawks, and the rest is, as they say, history.
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