TORONTO — After a lengthy career, waiting out his eligibility period, then 12 years of sitting by the phone, Jeremy Roenick finally received his call for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
And on Monday night, in a ceremony with the rest of his class, he formally entered into it.
Roenick, 54, an American who banked 1,216 points in 1,363 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, was among the headliners in a class that included Shea Weber, Pavel Datsyuk, Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell in the player category. David Poile and Colin Campbell entered as builders.
Roenick, the colorful, Boston-born winger, added 122 points, including 53 goals, in 154 playoff contests. He also won silver at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, when Team USA fell to Canada.
“I love this game,” he said. “It’s been such a huge part of my life for most of my life.”
The No. 8 pick by Chicago in 1988, Roenick finished his career as a nine-time NHL All-Star.
“When you wait for a long time, you don’t know how [the call] is going to hit you,” Roenick said in September, addressing the Chicago media in a Hall of Fame availability with the Blackhawks. “And I thought, maybe before, that it wasn’t going to be as big a deal as it was. But it hit me like a train.”
Weber, the former defenseman whose career ended prematurely because of a long list of injuries, has been unable to play since helping drag the underdog Montreal Canadiens to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
“My love for the game remains strong,” he said during his speech. “Even if my body didn’t hold up as long as I had hoped.”
The 39-year-old registered 589 points in 1,038 games with the Canadiens and Nashville Predators. He added 42 points in 97 playoff contests.
“There’s so much to be grateful for when playing this game,” Weber said. “And it’s not just the big moments, grinding out a playoff win or taking home Olympic gold. It’s in the small, seemingly routine moments that matter the most.
“It’s those friendships built during countless plane and bus rides, team dinners, breaking things down in the trainer’s room. It’s when a veteran player takes you under his wing and shows you what it truly means to be a professional. I want to thank all those players for demonstrating the importance of hard work and dedication.”
Datsyuk, 46, put up 918 points in 953 games with the Detroit Red Wings. He chipped in 113 points across 157 playoff contests that…
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