Post by tigerdan on Jan 18, 2010 22:00:34 GMT -5
Let me preface this with saying that I watched both Red Wings games over the weekend. I normally don't get too serious watching regular season games, but Saturday's shootout fiasco really got me worked up with the NHL.
So, on Sunday, I was watching the Wings-Black Hawks game and Roenick was on during the intermission saying he thought the Red Wings got the short end of the stick on that call as no one has yet seen a camera angle that shows the puck over the line.
Now, as I've said before, I travel every week for my job. Sunday night I had to catch a flight to Ontario, CA (where I'm typing this from) through Phoenix. Because I fly so much I have platinum status with both US Airways and Delta/Northwest, so I was upgraded to 1st class on my way to Phoenix.
I board the plane and who walks on 2 minutes later and sits directly in front of me? Jeremy Roenick.
Now, I figured I'd just let him be. I can't imagine he wants to be hassled all the time. I just figured I'd say hello as we got off the plane in Phoenix or something. Well, the person that sits right next to roenick is a 40 something wanna-be cougar that's ditzy as hell and has complete diarrhea of the mouth. Chatty Kathy proceeds to - without having any idea who he is - talk JRs ear off for the 1st 2 hours of a 4 hour flight. I could hear her cackling over my headphones. About 2 hours into the flight the guy sitting next to me says something quietly to me about her constant chatter (she couldn't hear us), so I end up talking to this guy about a couple of other things (where we're flying, etc.). I can only take this as JR seeing an opportunity to escape, because at that moment he turns around and starts talking to us. I take the opportunity to tell him he called it right on the the air today about the shootout goal. He says "the NHL seems to have it in for Detroit, especially in Dallas. They disallowed a Brad May goal there a while back and that was suspect, too." I tell him I think the feeling around the league is that the Wings have had their time and it's time to move on. JR agrees, but says "they shouldn't be making decisions that affect the outcome of games based on that feeling." I say it's just not right and he agrees. The guy next to me asks him about Steve Yzerman. JR says he's "one of the 3 best players I've ever played against, and that includes these young guns today."
Anyway, he turns around and I go back to listening to my headphones and reading my book. The problem (for JR) is that chatty Kathy now realizes she's sitting next to someone famous. After about another 10 minutes the guy sitting next to me and I end up back in the conversation.
The 4 of us (chatty Kathy included, of course) end up talking the rest of the flight. JR asks each of us where we're from and what we do. We ended up talking about Silver Sticks, gambling, my job, the guy next to me's job (arson investigator, tracking someone down for a fire in Clare, MI), etc. Turns out, it's Roenick's 40th birthday. We ended up having a shot for his birthday (Whiskey).
He seemed like a pretty good guy. He catches a lot of flack for controversies, but I think it's because he says whatever comes to mind. That's the impression I got from just a couple of hours (which, I'll agree is nowhere near long enough to know that much about someone).
All in all, a pretty cool flight.
modified: spell check
So, on Sunday, I was watching the Wings-Black Hawks game and Roenick was on during the intermission saying he thought the Red Wings got the short end of the stick on that call as no one has yet seen a camera angle that shows the puck over the line.
Now, as I've said before, I travel every week for my job. Sunday night I had to catch a flight to Ontario, CA (where I'm typing this from) through Phoenix. Because I fly so much I have platinum status with both US Airways and Delta/Northwest, so I was upgraded to 1st class on my way to Phoenix.
I board the plane and who walks on 2 minutes later and sits directly in front of me? Jeremy Roenick.
Now, I figured I'd just let him be. I can't imagine he wants to be hassled all the time. I just figured I'd say hello as we got off the plane in Phoenix or something. Well, the person that sits right next to roenick is a 40 something wanna-be cougar that's ditzy as hell and has complete diarrhea of the mouth. Chatty Kathy proceeds to - without having any idea who he is - talk JRs ear off for the 1st 2 hours of a 4 hour flight. I could hear her cackling over my headphones. About 2 hours into the flight the guy sitting next to me says something quietly to me about her constant chatter (she couldn't hear us), so I end up talking to this guy about a couple of other things (where we're flying, etc.). I can only take this as JR seeing an opportunity to escape, because at that moment he turns around and starts talking to us. I take the opportunity to tell him he called it right on the the air today about the shootout goal. He says "the NHL seems to have it in for Detroit, especially in Dallas. They disallowed a Brad May goal there a while back and that was suspect, too." I tell him I think the feeling around the league is that the Wings have had their time and it's time to move on. JR agrees, but says "they shouldn't be making decisions that affect the outcome of games based on that feeling." I say it's just not right and he agrees. The guy next to me asks him about Steve Yzerman. JR says he's "one of the 3 best players I've ever played against, and that includes these young guns today."
Anyway, he turns around and I go back to listening to my headphones and reading my book. The problem (for JR) is that chatty Kathy now realizes she's sitting next to someone famous. After about another 10 minutes the guy sitting next to me and I end up back in the conversation.
The 4 of us (chatty Kathy included, of course) end up talking the rest of the flight. JR asks each of us where we're from and what we do. We ended up talking about Silver Sticks, gambling, my job, the guy next to me's job (arson investigator, tracking someone down for a fire in Clare, MI), etc. Turns out, it's Roenick's 40th birthday. We ended up having a shot for his birthday (Whiskey).
He seemed like a pretty good guy. He catches a lot of flack for controversies, but I think it's because he says whatever comes to mind. That's the impression I got from just a couple of hours (which, I'll agree is nowhere near long enough to know that much about someone).
All in all, a pretty cool flight.
modified: spell check