Flyers Season thread

[PhillyGirl]

NHL | Roenick: There was more to his rant

"The media picked out the negative stuff," the Flyers center groused. He said he complained to ESPN.

By Tim Panaccio

Inquirer Staff Writer

Jeremy Roenick said yesterday that audio/video "snippets" in which he said hockey fans can "kiss my [butt]" were taken out of context.

The Flyers center was quoted over the weekend at Mario Lemieux's charity golf tournament outside Pittsburgh. His remarks about the fans made national headlines.

"Before I went into my rant, I was talking about the game of hockey, about getting it back on the ice, about what we have to do for the fans and telling people it's not about who wins or loses, it's about the game," Roenick said.

"But the media picked out the negative stuff... . Don't show snippets of the interview; show the whole interview, the whole message. My message during the interview was: How do we make the game more appealing to the fans?"

Roenick said his rant began when someone suggested the NHL lockout was the players' fault.

"That got my gall," he said. "We gave more back to the owners in this deal than any other sport has done. Before that question, I was talking about the game, how it was important to make it up to the fans and do something for them, and then that question came."

A partial video clip from TSN.ca shows Roenick talking very calmly about the game of hockey and even apologizing for its absence.

In the clip, Roenick talks about how much "the players have hurt" hockey and "might not have been right" in the lockout, a position that certainly won't please the NHL Players' Association.

Roenick says the new deal has to allow "the owners to make money." He then says that "fans should realize how much the players gave up" before blaming them as being spoiled.

"We're going to make the game better for the fans," he says in the video clip. "If you don't realize that, then don't come."

The next clip jumps to his rant. Roenick said yesterday the question that provoked him was whether fans should blame the players.

In February, Roenick, Robert Esche and Chris Pronger attempted to salvage the season when they asked the union to consider a reasonable salary cap and mustered support for it behind the scenes. The union eventually conceded on the salary cap.

"If the fans think Jeremy Roenick didn't try to get the game back on the ice, as some of us did, that is simply not true," Roenick said. "I'm not spoiled. I was reacting to a question. What I was saying was that if fans don't think that I care about hockey, care about the Flyers, then don't come out to see me. That's what I was talking about."

Roenick said he left several messages with ESPN yesterday demanding to know why the network didn't show the full video clip of what preceded his rant.

As for the proposed collective-bargaining agreement, he said: "It's not a great deal. But it gets the game back on the ice, and that is the most important thing."

[rjs246]

Professional athletes are crybabies.

[Wingspan]

that spoiled "game" playing brat should learn to shut up and keep drinking.

[MadMarchHare]

Roenick is an ass.  After an entire lost season, he really shouldn't be stirring the pot.  Even after all their "concessions", they'll still make more a game than my annual salary.  So farg off.

[rjs246]

Now hockey players will only be able to afford mistresses in a few cities around the country. Don't you all understand what a massive sacrifice that is for these people?

[General_Failure]

That wouldn't be a problem if they'd shorten up the league to 16 teams.

[Rome]

J.R.'s just pissed that the WNBA still has a television contract and the NHL doesn't.

[Wingspan]

That wouldn't be a problem if they'd shorten up the league to 16 teams.

and 48 players

[General_Failure]

J.R.'s just pissed that the WNBA still has a television contract and the NHL doesn't.

Daaaaaaaaaamn.

[PhillyGirl]

Great column...glad to see someone wrote it

[PhillyGirl]

The end is near 

[MURP]

the end of hockey that is. 

[PhillyGirl]

the end of hockey that is. 

Ah, shaddup Flames fan. You'll get to see your boy Iginla soon enough. 

[rjs246]

Signs point to these dudes making out with each other.

[BigEd76]

MURP still thinks Iginla "has a really nice tan"....