While the scandalous summer headlines surrounding the Michael Vick case and the NBA referee gambling discovery swallowed the attention of nearly every sports fan across the country, the National Hockey League had a relatively quiet off-season.
That was the case, until Jeremy Roenick signed with the San Jose Sharks last week.
The move caught many people off-guard, considering over the summer Roenick had text-messaged a reporter from Philadelphia saying that he was going to retire.
But it appears that the Sharks are in his T-Mobile favorite-five — as in the fifth NHL franchise he has played for.
Now the sport from Canada — the one that has dropped completely out of our consciousness over the years — has its most controversial character and biggest mouth back where it belongs: on the ice.
From telling fans who thought NHL players were spoiled to "kiss my (expletive)" to admitting that he was out of shape to get back at the league for the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Roenick has never bitten his tongue when it comes to airing his opinions for everyone to hear.
But this time around, the NHL's anti-Tiki Barber (as in an athlete refusing to retire) promises to keep his quotable mouth tight-lipped this season with the hopes of winning a Stanley Cup.
Not only that, but Roenick, or to his friends, "Styles," is back because he's only five goals away from scoring 500 for his career.
In his first season playing in the Shark Tank, "J.R." wants to prove to all the hater-ade drinkers that he has plenty left in his own tank.
Last season with the Phoenix Coyotes, Roenick had diva-like moments in a disappointing 11-goal season.
The most memorable moment for Roenick took place in a game he didn't even play in.
After finding out he was a healthy-scratch against the Vancouver Canucks, Roenick took off from the arena to go eat dinner and have a beer across the street.
Although incidents like that show J.R's behavior can seem like he's craving more attention than Lindsay Lohan, nobody can question his toughness.
In 1999, after breaking eight of his teeth and shattering his jaw by wearing a Derian Hatcher slap-shot to the dome, Roenick insisted on skating another shift before leaving the game.
For lack of a better comparison, Roenick is like the Chuck Norris of the NHL.
Now I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure Roenick can't slam a revolving door, and he is certainly not the reason why Waldo is hiding. But nonetheless, he is still similar to Chuck Norris in many ways.
Another shared similarity J.R. has with Walker Texas Ranger is the numerous guess acting spots on TV shows both have done over the years.
Hate him or love him, Roenick will always be one of the most memorable characters in any sport – not just hockey.
And in a league that has more names you can't pronounce than ones that you can remember, it's nice to know there's still at least one character left in the business, even if he's more over-confident than a Michigan football player.
Drop the gloves with me at edward.price@asu.edu
