It's always great to see when a former Flyer gets inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. On Tuesday, the NHL announced this year's class to be inducted. Among the inductees is former Flyer forward, Jeremy Roenick.
Let's be honest here. Roenick is being inducted, mostly, for what he did before he became a Flyer in 2001. He is fourth all-time in points by an American-born player with 1,232 points. That's behind Brett Hull, Mike Modano, and Patrick Kane. His 513 goals are also fourth by an American, behind Hull, Modano, and former teammate Keith Tkachuk. He sits seventh all-time with assists by an American at 703.
Jeremy Roenick gets the Hall of Fame call
Roenick spent just three seasons as a Flyer. In that time, he scored 67 goals with 106 assists. In his first season, he scored 21 goals and won the Bobby Clarke Trophy and the Yanick Dupre Memorial Trophy while leading the Flyers with 46 assists and 67 points. He was brought in as a replacement for Eric Lindros after he had been traded to the Rangers.
While Roenick never put up the numbers he did while a member of the Chicago Blackhawks or Phoenix Coyotes, he was part of a strong Flyers team that included players like John LeClair, Keith Primeau, Simon Gagne, and Mark Recchi. It was that 2003 team that he was a member of that took John Tortorella and his Tampa Bay Lightning team to a game seven in the Eastern Conference Finals. It was followed by a player's strike, a year without hockey, and Roenick became a free agent again.
Even though his time in Philly was short, he was a regular at many Flyers' Alumni events. His jovial personality, combined with his hard work ethic made him a fan favorite. Congrats to an all-time great. It's a long overdue honor. Perhaps the Hall could look into some other deserving Flyers while they are at it.