"Thank goodness he didn't look over the divider": Jeremy Roenick recollects hilarious bathroom convo with Mike Keenan

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Nov 12, 2024 05:44 GMT

On Monday night in Toronto, Jeremy Roenick shared a hilarious memory from his draft day while being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024.

He recounted a funny conversation with Mike Keenan, who was the Chicago Blackhawks coach at the time.

Roenick humorously revealed that the deciding factor in the Hawks' choice to draft him might have been a rather awkward encounter in a restaurant bathroom the night before the draft.

He recalled:

"In 1988 the Black Hawks drafted me eighth overall in the first round. And surprising scene, I was only 510 and 150 pounds. I'm convinced the deciding factor of their pick came the night before the draft."

"In the restaurant bathroom, standing next to Mike Keenan at a urinal, he oddly asked me, you have any balls kid? Feeling a bit uncomfortable because of the current situation, I said enough to play for you. Thank goodness he didn't look over the divider. I might not have been their first pick that year."

He also shared the moment when he first walked into the Blackhawks locker room and encountered Al Secord in the nude. Roenick humorously recalled it as one of the scariest sights he'd ever seen:

"Turning Pro out of high school was very scary, and I questioned whether I had what it took. Well, it got worse when I walked into the Hawks locker room and saw Al Secord naked. Scariest thing I've ever seen, muscles on top of muscles, no teeth and hair everywhere I went to go get change in the bathroom stall, and that's no joke."

Roenick's insights lifted the mood of everyone present at the ceremony. Alongside him, Shea Weber and Pavel Datsyuk also joined the ranks of legends inducted into the class of 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame.

How long did Jeremy Roenick play in the NHL?

Roenick was drafted No. 8 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1988 NHL draft.

He played for them for eight years before going on to have his career with the Phoenix Coyotes (six years), Philadelphia Flyers (three years), San Jose Sharks (two years) and LA Kings (one year).

He played in the NHL for two decades, accumulating 1,216 points through 513 goals and 703 assists in 1,363 career games. However, Jeremy Roenick never won a Stanley Cup in his illustrious career.