Shoot First, Pass Later: My Life, No Filter - Hardcover

Roenick, Jeremy; Allen, Kevin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1629371629 ISBN 13: 9781629371627

Verlag: TRIUMPH BOOKS, 2015

Inhaltsangabe

In this honest, no-nonsense book by one of the greatest American stars the NHL has ever known, Jeremy Roenick showcases his skill as a hockey storyteller In his one-of-a-kind way, Roenick shares stories from his 20-year career with the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks, providing an inside perspective on the oddities of life as a pro athlete. He explains why he openly considered the pros and cons of fighting a fan, opens up about tales of partying on road trips, and even how he became friends with former Vice President Dan Quayle. In one chapter, Roenick lends the pen to his wife, Tracy, to tell her side of the story. Nothing is held back as J. R. reveals his opinions about teammates, opponents, and the future of the game.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Jeremy Roenick is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and one of only four American-born players to score 500 or more career NHL goals. He is currently a hockey analyst for NBC. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. Kevin Allen is the author or coauthor of more than a dozen sports books, including Brett: His Own Story, Star-Spangled Hockey: Celebrating 75 Years of USA Hockey, and Without Fear: Hockey&;s 50 Greatest Goaltenders. He lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Chris Chelios was a defenseman who played in the NHL for 26 seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Atlanta Thrashers. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013 and won three Stanley Cups. He is currently the executive advisor to general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

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Shoot First Pass Later

My Life, No Filter

By Jeremy Roenick, Kevin Allen

Triumph Books

Copyright © 2015 Jeremy Roenick
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-62937-162-7

Contents

Foreword by Chris Chelios, 
Introduction, 
1. The Father's Daughter, 
2. What They Don't Tell You, 
3. Lucky or Good?, 
4. Don't Be Cindy Brady, 
5. Golfing with Gretzky, 
6. Lemieux vs. Gretzky, 
7. Just Sign Here, 
8. Chip and a Putt Off the Old Block, 
9. The Commish, 
10. Regrets, 
11. Two Parts Wells, One Part Barkley, and a Dash of Urlacher, 
12. Benny and the Jet, 
13. The Numbers Game, 
14. A Year in the Life, 

CHAPTER 1

The Father's Daughter

My daughter, Brandi, a nationally ranked dressage rider, quit her sport and moved out of our house when she was a teenager. She told us she didn't want to go to college. She didn't want horses dictating the course of her life. Mostly, she didn't want her parents telling her what was in her best interests.

As defiant words poured from her mouth, it reminded me of the rebellious attitude I embraced after I started playing for the Chicago Blackhawks in 1988.

Like the lyrics from the Billy Joel song, Brandi had grown up just like me. She inherited her dad's stubbornness and his disdain for being told what to do. She knows it, too. Brandi has said numerous times that she is like me in many ways, and she seems to realize that is not always a good thing.

While I understood my daughter's attitude, I wasn't any less angry about her decision. Her retirement from dressage came a few months after I paid a handsome sum for a seven-year-old coal-black mare named Apassionata. This horse had been competing successfully in Germany. My daughter was a potential 2015 Pan- American Games competitor, and putting her with this world-class horse seemed like the right move.

Brandi had been very excited about the purchase of the mare. She had nicknamed her "Pia." She had traveled to Germany to train with her before the horse was brought to America.

"I am really excited for this horse and the future that we have in store together," she was quoted as saying on dressage-news.com.

She told the website that Apassionata was "eager to please and take care of her rider." At that point, Brandi sounded like someone who knew what she wanted, and maybe she did. But not all that long after giving that interview, Brandi decided she wanted to go in a different direction with her life. There was a guy involved, but she said her decision wasn't just about him.

Brandi also declared that she couldn't deal with the pressure anymore. She knew how much the horse cost, and she knew there was money riding on her performances. She knew we looked at the horse as an investment. Maybe we put too much pressure on her.

She also didn't like our rules. Tracy and I had told her that if we were going to financially support her riding career, we expected her to go to college while she was training. She didn't like our plan.

I understood how she was feeling, because there were times when I was young that I wanted to quit hockey because I believed my dad was too hard on me. I knew her feelings about the pressure were genuine. But if that was the lone issue, we could have resolved that.

Parenting is an impossible task. I love my children beyond measure, but I'm sure they have taken years off my life thanks to worrying about their futures. You hope your children grow up to be independent and strong. All parents need to let their children find their own way. You want them to have the maturity to make their own decisions. But you also feel like you have to step in when they are making poor decisions. Isn't that what parents are supposed to do?

Isn't it my job to push or inspire my child to explore all of her talents? I don't want Brandi to have regrets 20 years from now about what she did with her life. From where I'm sitting, it seems like a fine line between being an overbearing parent and a parent who wants the best for his child.

It was crushing for Tracy not to have the relationship she wanted with her daughter because of the tension brought about by Brandi's decision.

Parents strive to instill values in their children. They want their children to stick to their commitments and not quit on their dreams. On the other hand, Tracy and I understood the sacrifices that Brandi was making to compete. Having played 20 seasons in the NHL, I understand that staying on the top of your sport precludes having a normal life. Tracy understands that as well, because she disrupted her life plan to allow me to skate in the spotlight.

We understood what Brandi was giving up. Tracy would tell her to set the alarm for 5:30 every morning. They needed to be at the barn at 6:00 am every day to feed and groom the horses. For Brandi, it was starring in Groundhog Day. When you are working with horses, it's the same fucking day over and over again. That can get monotonous for a 17-year-old. She wanted to see her friends, hang out with guys, and be a normal teenager.

I understood her position, but as a parent, I believed she was throwing away a golden opportunity. I know she misses the horses. One of our horses was injured after Brandi quit the sport, and we considered putting her down. The way Brandi reacted on her Facebook page made it clear to me that she still cared deeply about the sport.

No one can relate to the emotional side of being an athlete more than me. But I also understand that there were many times in my young adult life when I wouldn't listen to Tracy or others who tried to convince me that I was making poor decisions.

I was a straight arrow when I was a teenager. I did what my parents told me. I was totally focused on my goal of making it to the National Hockey League. But once I arrived in the NHL, I began to indulge my rebellious tendencies. I stayed out too late, hung out with the wrong people, and made some poor decisions. My stubborn streak rose to the surface.

Once I put on an NHL sweater, I developed an I-can-do-no-wrong attitude, and Brandi seems to have inherited that trait from me. Her attitude is, I'm right about everything. There are parallels to our lives. She has never gotten into any real trouble, either. But just as I did early in my career, Brandi likes to stay out into the wee hours of the morning. She has people in her life who aren't always the best influences. Unquestionably, I can relate to that.

Both of us were out on our own when we were teenagers, living like grown-ups, when we were not fully mature enough to handle all of that responsibility.

I've given her my share of tough love, saying words that made me cringe. Since I travel often for my NBC job, Tracy has been left to deal with most of the issues. But I've played the bad cop on more than one occasion.

Once, Brandi called me and asked, "Do we have health insurance?"

"I have health insurance," I told her, making my point quite succinctly.

"Sorry I asked," she said, angered by my response.

She responded the way I would have responded. I had no desire to attend college, and she says college isn't for her. I have multiple tattoos. She has multiple tattoos.

Brandi has become the rebel without a cause, just like I was. The frustration for me is that I've been where she is now, believing that I knew all I needed to know. I can explain to her, in great detail, that there are decisions you make when you are young that you later regret. But she is not in a place where she wants...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: TRIUMPH BOOKS
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2015
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1629371629
• ISBN 13: 9781629371627
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Auflage: 1
• Anzahl der Seiten: 256
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Triumph Books; https://www.triumphbooks.com; ; 814 North Franklin Street; CHICAGO; IL; 60610; USA
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