Jeremy Roenick....ok, I won't go back
 

Not like I went in the first place (cause we don't have hockey here...)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2095862

PRESTO, Pa. -- Philadelphia Flyers center Jeremy Roenick has some advice for hockey fans who blame the NHL lockout on players' greed: Once it's finally settled, stay home.

"We're going to try to make it better for everybody, period, end of subject. And if you don't realize that, then don't come," said Roenick, who spoke at a charity golf event he played in over the weekend.

"We don't want you at the rink, we don't want you in the stadium, we don't want you to watch hockey," he said Saturday at the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational in suburban Pittsburgh.

The NHL and the players' association have been in almost daily negotiations to get a new collective bargaining agreement after the lockout that canceled the 2004-05 season.

"I say personally, to everybody who called us 'spoiled,' you guys are just jealous ... we have tried so, so hard to get this game back on the ice," Roenick said.

Like New York Rangers right winger Jaromir Jagr, who came out last week and admitted that the union's gamble didn't pay off, Roenick said he doesn't think the players can get a good deal at this point.

"I know we are going to give up probably more than any union has ever given up in the history of [professional] sports and, to me, I think that's enough to bring the fans back -- to know what their players are going to give up as much as they have in the last year," Roenick said. "If people are going to chastise professional athletes who are making a lot of money they need to look at the deal we are probably going to end up signing in the next three weeks."

Hmmm... someone should tell Roenick that it's attitudes and personalities like his that is the problem with the NHL - and yes I'm convince that tools like Roenick or Jagr care more for the green than they do the game.

Roenick doesn't have to worry about real fans going to the games anyway...we can't afford it!

Jeremy, just shut up. Unless you're announcing the end of the stupid lockout, just shush. You are not helping things, you maroon.

They darned well better get a new agreement signed in 3 weeks or so or I'll be happy to add Jeremy Roenick and Jaromir Jagr to my personal NHL Idiot List.

You do realize that the cries of poverty from owners are generally false, and the ones who do have a problem usually are at fault? (or are in Nashville, but that's another story altogether)

The players are taking it in the ass here, and their union has essentially been broken. I don't blame Roenick one bit - in fact, I'll go ahead and say he's pretty much right.

If you think he's such a douche for feeling like he's being screwed over, then go ahead and boycott games - you're paying his salary by going.

It's absolute garbage to claim that people who make $x,xxx,xxx money can't complain about their treatment - everyone has a claim to what they are worth. By their nature, professional athletes earn more than you. That doesn't mean they should allow EVEN MORE WEALTHY people (owners) to take advantage of their relative position.

I see your point and actually agree. Loved the Nashville comment too ;)

However, at this stage in my forced hockey addict sabbatical, I don't want anyone to say anything other than the lockout is OVER and we'll have NHL hockey this fall.

I agree to a certain extent. I know the owners have more money that God (or close to it), but the players are hardly living below the poverty line and have to resort to using food stamps. It's one things for players to be angry about poor working conditions, whether that be benifts or pensions or what have you. It's another thing entirely to complain you aren't making enough money. And it wouldn't bother me so much if it was the players at the low end of the pay scale asking for higher wages, but it isn't. It's players like Roenick and Jagr, that are on the higher end of the pay scale that are doing all the bitching.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...both sides are equally at fault here.

Screw the NHL...bring on the Marlies!!!!!!

I read an article about Roenick's comments yesterday. Talk about foot-in-mouth disease!

You know, I used to go to to Pittsburgh Penguin games when I was a kid (pre-Mario) and attendance would usually be in the 1,500 range (and front row tickets were $14.00) Sure, they didn't win very often, but it was a lot of fun anyway. And the players were accessible and nice. I don't even recognize this new NHL and I don't think I want to. Haha, I wonder if the fact that there were very few Americans in the League back then has anything to do with it??? j/k

Hi I am Katie! (I left the computer for a minute and my daughter decided to contribute to the thread :) )

I actually support the NHLPA - but at the same time I realise that tools making statements such as Roenick's will hurt the NHL if/when the lock out ends... the owners and the players lose if the fan base shrinks, and it will - but players shouldn't be aiding this erosion of fan support with stupid or undiplomatic statements.

Boy, that's how you get fans on your side, all right. :rolleyes:

Give JR a break. He spent the day golfing with a bunch of Canadians and he was probably drunk.

He went to my high school and old high school friends were all up in arms about it the other day and how he was giving the hs's hockey team a bad name which I thought was humorous because I highly doubt anyone gives a sh*t where he went to high school or see what he said as reflection of the hs's team in anyway...then I had NESN on later that day and they introduced the story as "Thayer Academy's very own Jeremy Roenick..." and I laughed. :rolleyes: