Jeremy Roenick has long expressed disappointment about his absence from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Although he never won the Stanley Cup or received any individual accolades during his 20-year career, the former center was one of the more consistent NHL stars of the 1990s. Roenick ranks fourth all-time in goals (513) and points (1,216) among American-born players, and 39 of the 45 players ahead of him on the NHL's all-time points list are currently in the Hall.
But the door hasn't opened for Roenick. And to make his Hall candidacy even more complicated, the 52-year-old lost his role as an NBC Sports analyst back in 2020 due to the fallout of inappropriate comments made toward colleagues with the network. Roenick's controversial off-ice career hasn't complemented his on-ice resume, but he senses the Hall of Fame selection committee hasn't been fond of him for over a decade.
"I guess I'm just not their type of person. Because I think my stats and career speak for themselves. Obviously I'm not a favorite of theirs, personality-wise," Roenick told The Zach Gelb Show on Tuesday. "I'm very happy with my career and very pleased with what I was able to achieve... And I think I've done a lot for the NHL, and hopefully, one day they'll see it. But not holding my breath...
"If those are the things that are getting people into the HOF these days, and not their on-ice qualifications, then there's going to be a lot of surprised and questionable people that go in... I'm the third all-time American in points and goals -- take Brett Hull out of the equation because he has dual citizenship... Qualifications wise, you wonder if they have something against Americans or something against me. I think it's starting to be readily apparent."
The entire hockey conversation between Roenick and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.