This is becoming expected of Jeremy Roenick (who as a disclaimer I like and respect for the way he played the game, the way he's worn his heart on his sleeve, and unlike other jocks turned "analysts" the way there is some bite to his bark).
But Roenick's fascination with burying Sharks' punching bag Patrick Marleau has reached old and tired news territory. Time for JR to strike while the iron is still lukewarm and cash in on those acting chops. He wrote a book, and I wouldn't mind reading "J.R. My Life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless and Hard-Hitting Man in Hockey". I get that Roenick is going to be outspoken when he pens his thoughts.
We know the Roenick-Marleau feud became Hatfield-McCoyish when the former Shark called the current Shark "gutless" after a playoff loss to the Red Wings two years ago. Roenick ripped on Marleau again in his book, and frankly it's not that interesting two years later. And Marleau hit back with a retort of his own, so whatever. At some point even a player as reserved as Marleau should just politely decline comment when Roenick hurls more stones. I as a Sharks' fan can understand where J.R. is coming from. He ended his distinguished hockey career in San Jose. He came close to a Stanley Cup before and in post-retirement years and beautifully showed the emotion and painful reality of not hoisting one. But maybe his best chance came with what seemed on paper like loaded and Cup-friendly San Jose teams in 2008 and 2009. But neither got past the Western Conference semifinals, and I'm sure Roenick is bitter both of those teams fell short of expectations, and Marleau is usually a convenient scapegoat despite his impressive pedigree during his Sharks' career.
I'll say this: Roenick is easy to like, Marleau is sometimes difficult to embrace. I thought by now both Marleau and the Sharks would have needed a break from each other. The Sharks could get younger and more cap-conscious by trading a player with Marleau's salary, value and skill set for an up-and-coming top-six forward, and Marleau is still young enough to be an effective player on a team that already has faces of the franchise. (Then again, Marleau's speed and underrated advanced stats would make him difficult to replace on a team lacking in the quickness department).
It's this writer's opinion that Marleau would be better off when he's not one of the stars of the show and the team's expected meal tickets, which he's been in San Jose along with Joe Thornton, and until he was let go, Evgeni Nabokov. But he takes too much blame for the Sharks' postseason failures, and Roenick keeps adding charcoal to the grill when there is plenty of heat already. If he played for the Giants or 49ers and an ex-teammate wrote such scathing criticism, Marleau would be the biggest lightning rod in the Bay Area sports scene. He would blow up the talk radio phone lines if Marleau wore the Winged Wheel, the Blue Shirt or skated in hockey-mad Canada.
So I feel compassion for Marleau that he's toiling in relative obscurity in San Jose and side with him while Roenick continues to poke, prod and stab with his keyboard and microphone. Of course, if there's hockey played this year, Marleau's going to be susceptible to mine and other fans' daggers. It's just the nature of being one of your team's highest-paid players.
But Roenick, and not sure if this is possible, should pipe down.
But Roenick's fascination with burying Sharks' punching bag Patrick Marleau has reached old and tired news territory. Time for JR to strike while the iron is still lukewarm and cash in on those acting chops. He wrote a book, and I wouldn't mind reading "J.R. My Life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless and Hard-Hitting Man in Hockey". I get that Roenick is going to be outspoken when he pens his thoughts.
We know the Roenick-Marleau feud became Hatfield-McCoyish when the former Shark called the current Shark "gutless" after a playoff loss to the Red Wings two years ago. Roenick ripped on Marleau again in his book, and frankly it's not that interesting two years later. And Marleau hit back with a retort of his own, so whatever. At some point even a player as reserved as Marleau should just politely decline comment when Roenick hurls more stones. I as a Sharks' fan can understand where J.R. is coming from. He ended his distinguished hockey career in San Jose. He came close to a Stanley Cup before and in post-retirement years and beautifully showed the emotion and painful reality of not hoisting one. But maybe his best chance came with what seemed on paper like loaded and Cup-friendly San Jose teams in 2008 and 2009. But neither got past the Western Conference semifinals, and I'm sure Roenick is bitter both of those teams fell short of expectations, and Marleau is usually a convenient scapegoat despite his impressive pedigree during his Sharks' career.
I'll say this: Roenick is easy to like, Marleau is sometimes difficult to embrace. I thought by now both Marleau and the Sharks would have needed a break from each other. The Sharks could get younger and more cap-conscious by trading a player with Marleau's salary, value and skill set for an up-and-coming top-six forward, and Marleau is still young enough to be an effective player on a team that already has faces of the franchise. (Then again, Marleau's speed and underrated advanced stats would make him difficult to replace on a team lacking in the quickness department).
It's this writer's opinion that Marleau would be better off when he's not one of the stars of the show and the team's expected meal tickets, which he's been in San Jose along with Joe Thornton, and until he was let go, Evgeni Nabokov. But he takes too much blame for the Sharks' postseason failures, and Roenick keeps adding charcoal to the grill when there is plenty of heat already. If he played for the Giants or 49ers and an ex-teammate wrote such scathing criticism, Marleau would be the biggest lightning rod in the Bay Area sports scene. He would blow up the talk radio phone lines if Marleau wore the Winged Wheel, the Blue Shirt or skated in hockey-mad Canada.
So I feel compassion for Marleau that he's toiling in relative obscurity in San Jose and side with him while Roenick continues to poke, prod and stab with his keyboard and microphone. Of course, if there's hockey played this year, Marleau's going to be susceptible to mine and other fans' daggers. It's just the nature of being one of your team's highest-paid players.
But Roenick, and not sure if this is possible, should pipe down.
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