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J.R.: The Fast, Crazy Life of Hockey’s Most Outspoken and Most Colourful Personality
Jeremy Roenick, one of the premier hockey players of his generation and one of the greatest American stars the NHL has ever known, shares his life story in this frank and unflinching autobiography. After making his debut as an 18-year-old with the Chicago Blackhawks, Roenick thrilled fans with his flashy style, take-no-prisoners approach, and jaw-dropping skills. A native of Boston, Roenick went on to play for four more franchises—including the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings—during his incredible 18-season career. By the time he was through, Roenick had racked up 513 goals—the second most of any American-born player—and 703 assists. Now a tells-it-like-it-is commentator for NBC and the NHL, Roenick takes readers on a behind-the-scenes, warts-and-all tour through his illustrious career, both on and off the ice.
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
28 people are currently reading
557 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Roenick
6 books4 followersJeremy “J.R.” Roenick was born January 17, 1970, and is a former American National Hockey League player. He was drafted eighth overall in the NHL Entry Draft in 1988 by the Chicago Blackhawks.
He played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and the San Jose Sharks over the course of his 20 year NHL season career.
He represented TEAM USA in numerous international tournaments, including two Olympics, 98′ & 02′ collecting a Silver Medal in Salt Lake City 2002. On November 10, 2007, he became the third American-born player to score 500 Goals.
On August 6, 2009, Roenick announced his retirement from the National Hockey League. Roenick finished his career having scored 513 goals with 703 assists in 1,363 games, for a total of 1,216 points.
Jeremy is famously noted as one of the most colorful personalities on and off the ice, and undeniably the most fan friendly star the NHL has ever produced.
Charitable work has always been a big part of Jeremy’s life, traveling North America supporting many causes helping to raise money and awareness.
Jeremy is currently enjoying a new career as an analyst for NBC Sports. His career as an analyst kicked off working for NBC ‘s network coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics where he acted as the counterpart for Mike Milbury. Jeremy’s successful coverage during the Winter Games led to NBC offering him a contract to join the network full-time.
Jeremy has now added “author” to his resume, completing his first Biography titled “J.R” which highlights his illustrious career and personal stories during a very outspoken and opinionated time in his life.
He played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and the San Jose Sharks over the course of his 20 year NHL season career.
He represented TEAM USA in numerous international tournaments, including two Olympics, 98′ & 02′ collecting a Silver Medal in Salt Lake City 2002. On November 10, 2007, he became the third American-born player to score 500 Goals.
On August 6, 2009, Roenick announced his retirement from the National Hockey League. Roenick finished his career having scored 513 goals with 703 assists in 1,363 games, for a total of 1,216 points.
Jeremy is famously noted as one of the most colorful personalities on and off the ice, and undeniably the most fan friendly star the NHL has ever produced.
Charitable work has always been a big part of Jeremy’s life, traveling North America supporting many causes helping to raise money and awareness.
Jeremy is currently enjoying a new career as an analyst for NBC Sports. His career as an analyst kicked off working for NBC ‘s network coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics where he acted as the counterpart for Mike Milbury. Jeremy’s successful coverage during the Winter Games led to NBC offering him a contract to join the network full-time.
Jeremy has now added “author” to his resume, completing his first Biography titled “J.R” which highlights his illustrious career and personal stories during a very outspoken and opinionated time in his life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
September 13, 2015
I almost quit in the beginning and a few times thereafter, but this was an interesting enough read. I guess. As the title suggests, the ego and arrogance are over the top.
Irritating:
- He uses alternate (read: non-US) English spellings. Favourite, humour, centre, cheque, and so on. I like those spelling when they're coming from someone not born in the US, of course. But it's weird in cases like this. Like he's trying to make up for not really finishing high school and never going to college and trying to come off as sophisticated.
- I get it, you say and do what you want. But every fucking sentence doesn't need to fucking have the word "fucking" in it. It makes you sound like you're 13.
- It was a bit scattered. Talking about one topic and then switching to another with no segue was a common occurrence.
On the positive side:
- Roenick seems to have given everything in his life to the pursuit of excellence in hockey and it's an admirable trait. I don't pay attention to sports anymore, but when I was a child Roenick was definitely respected as an All Star quality player.
Irritating:
- He uses alternate (read: non-US) English spellings. Favourite, humour, centre, cheque, and so on. I like those spelling when they're coming from someone not born in the US, of course. But it's weird in cases like this. Like he's trying to make up for not really finishing high school and never going to college and trying to come off as sophisticated.
- I get it, you say and do what you want. But every fucking sentence doesn't need to fucking have the word "fucking" in it. It makes you sound like you're 13.
- It was a bit scattered. Talking about one topic and then switching to another with no segue was a common occurrence.
On the positive side:
- Roenick seems to have given everything in his life to the pursuit of excellence in hockey and it's an admirable trait. I don't pay attention to sports anymore, but when I was a child Roenick was definitely respected as an All Star quality player.
January 23, 2013
Man, this is a fucking great book... as JR would say. (ha!)
This is one of the best autobiographies I've ever read. They made a great decision to write the book in Roenick's voice. The superstar jock stories and sensibilities are largely unfiltered. There's drinking, fighting, cursing, gambling, the most sophomoric pranks ever, and more. The movie Slapshot has nothing on JR. Every page seems to include the word "fuck" or some variation of it. It feels like Roenick just plopped down on a barstool next to you and starts talking.
QOTD
Roenick is an archetype: hockey player, jock, superstar, alpha male. I could list examples of this, but more telling, I can't list a single thing in there that breaks this mold. Honestly, this doesn't make him the most appealing or smart person, but hey, it is what it is. Roenick lived on top of the mountain for a long, long time. So, his attitude and demeanor comes with the package.
For a couple hundred pages, this is 5-star reading. The early stories of JR's parents' dedication and sacrifice for his hockey career at such an early age are truly amazing. JR's stories about breaking into the NHL as a teenager with the Blackhawks are riveting. His feelings on the role of passion and leadership in sports (and elsewhere) are heartfelt.
Not coincidentally, the book and the stories tail off with the end of Roenick's career. Another minor complaint: the only area Roenick avoids completely is women. I assume this was done in deference to his wife, as they're still together after more than 20 years. But you know for a fact that JR has a suitcase full of stories about groupies and women on the road and affairs, etc. Cmon! I want to hear about the fucking broads! (he he) But he avoids the topic completely.
But nuts to that... this is a great fucking book!
Please allow me a geezer postscript. Hockey today is so diluted compared to 20 years ago when JR played. The fighting. The hitting. The slashing. Goons. All gone. I understand it has to change, and I ain't bitching... but I cherish those memories of hockey when it was brutal. There won't be any more Roenicks in the NHL. Old time hockey! Ha.
This is one of the best autobiographies I've ever read. They made a great decision to write the book in Roenick's voice. The superstar jock stories and sensibilities are largely unfiltered. There's drinking, fighting, cursing, gambling, the most sophomoric pranks ever, and more. The movie Slapshot has nothing on JR. Every page seems to include the word "fuck" or some variation of it. It feels like Roenick just plopped down on a barstool next to you and starts talking.
QOTD
When I was an 11 year-old playing peewee hockey in the Washington DC area, I remember backing down from an encounter with an opponent and hearing a voice from the crowd yell, "Get off the ice, you pussy."
Looking into the stands, I realized it was my mother.
- Jeremy Roenick
Roenick is an archetype: hockey player, jock, superstar, alpha male. I could list examples of this, but more telling, I can't list a single thing in there that breaks this mold. Honestly, this doesn't make him the most appealing or smart person, but hey, it is what it is. Roenick lived on top of the mountain for a long, long time. So, his attitude and demeanor comes with the package.
For a couple hundred pages, this is 5-star reading. The early stories of JR's parents' dedication and sacrifice for his hockey career at such an early age are truly amazing. JR's stories about breaking into the NHL as a teenager with the Blackhawks are riveting. His feelings on the role of passion and leadership in sports (and elsewhere) are heartfelt.
Not coincidentally, the book and the stories tail off with the end of Roenick's career. Another minor complaint: the only area Roenick avoids completely is women. I assume this was done in deference to his wife, as they're still together after more than 20 years. But you know for a fact that JR has a suitcase full of stories about groupies and women on the road and affairs, etc. Cmon! I want to hear about the fucking broads! (he he) But he avoids the topic completely.
But nuts to that... this is a great fucking book!
Please allow me a geezer postscript. Hockey today is so diluted compared to 20 years ago when JR played. The fighting. The hitting. The slashing. Goons. All gone. I understand it has to change, and I ain't bitching... but I cherish those memories of hockey when it was brutal. There won't be any more Roenicks in the NHL. Old time hockey! Ha.
May 27, 2013
Back when I was reading lots of hockey books, I looked forward to the inevitable Jeremy Roenick book. He was still playing in those days, so I had a while to wait. Now the Roenick book--the one hockey book I ever had lofty expectations for--is finally here, and I'm mostly disappointed.
I was pretty young when Roenick played in Philly, but I did like him. I have his action figure in my room and I don't have any other hockey action figures. Not much of the book is about his time with the Flyers, though. Granted, he wasn't here all that long, so I can't be too mad about that. But if you're looking to get a lot out of this book, I hope you were a Blackhawks fan in the 90s.
Most of the organization decisions in this book don't make much sense. The first chapter in particular is a total mess. He talks about his parents and his brother and moving around to play youth hockey and meeting his wife and his relationship with her parents. Sometimes he'll be talking about hockey (which does not happen often enough in this book about the career of a hockey player , and then he'll drop an entire chapter about gambling that clearly didn't fit anywhere in the book so he and the sportswriter he collaborated with just put it somewhere. He was playing with Phoenix in the last chapter and now he's talking about Chicago again. Even the pages with pictures don't make any sense. Why are they in the middle of chapters--where they actually come in the middle of a sentence--and not between chapters?
Some of the stories are entertaining. I like the one about Roenick's one day in college. His agent encouraged him to get an education. Roenick was ready to play for Boston College's hockey team. He went to one class. The professor handed out a syllabus and Roenick asked the girl next to him "What the fuck is a syllabus?" She told him and he read through it, called his agent, and dropped the hell out.
If he'd stayed in college, Roenick would have been one hell of a frat boy. The books goes quickly , and probably you'll find at least one entertaining story each time you sit down and read it. In the forward, Roenick says he wants his readers to say "What the fuck was Roenick thinking?" Mission accomplished, J.R.
I was pretty young when Roenick played in Philly, but I did like him. I have his action figure in my room and I don't have any other hockey action figures. Not much of the book is about his time with the Flyers, though. Granted, he wasn't here all that long, so I can't be too mad about that. But if you're looking to get a lot out of this book, I hope you were a Blackhawks fan in the 90s.
Most of the organization decisions in this book don't make much sense. The first chapter in particular is a total mess. He talks about his parents and his brother and moving around to play youth hockey and meeting his wife and his relationship with her parents. Sometimes he'll be talking about hockey (which does not happen often enough in this book about the career of a hockey player , and then he'll drop an entire chapter about gambling that clearly didn't fit anywhere in the book so he and the sportswriter he collaborated with just put it somewhere. He was playing with Phoenix in the last chapter and now he's talking about Chicago again. Even the pages with pictures don't make any sense. Why are they in the middle of chapters--where they actually come in the middle of a sentence--and not between chapters?
Some of the stories are entertaining. I like the one about Roenick's one day in college. His agent encouraged him to get an education. Roenick was ready to play for Boston College's hockey team. He went to one class. The professor handed out a syllabus and Roenick asked the girl next to him "What the fuck is a syllabus?" She told him and he read through it, called his agent, and dropped the hell out.
If he'd stayed in college, Roenick would have been one hell of a frat boy. The books goes quickly , and probably you'll find at least one entertaining story each time you sit down and read it. In the forward, Roenick says he wants his readers to say "What the fuck was Roenick thinking?" Mission accomplished, J.R.
January 6, 2014
Gets better as you go, it isn't the worst hockey bio I've read but isn't the best. He tries to come off as self depreciative but is more arrogant. I did appreciate his descriptions of concussions as he seemed to really understand them but his blindness to the necessary changes to the game was annoying.
January 2, 2022
Behind Eric Lindros, Jeremy Roenick is my second favorite hockey player. I was lucky enough to meet him and get this booked autographed a few years back. He was a great fit in Philly for us Flyers fans because of the way he played the game. In JRs unfiltered way, he takes us into the game and into the life of a hockey player. Although the writing isn't that great in this book, the stories he tells and the way he tells them makes up for it. Definitely had more than a few laugh out loud moments.
April 24, 2013
3.5 stars
What threw me at first with this book is that it's a memoir and NOT an autobiography. I went into it expecting more about Roenick specifically, where this was more him telling you stories about hockey, his time in the NHL, players and games. You do learn about Roenick in the process but not as much as you would were it a real autobiography. Once I realized that, I liked it more.
At first, I was a little confused about the style of the stories as it felt like a guy just casually talking to you about things that happened or people he knew.
The book also needed more editing. There are a number of grammatical errors and awkward sentences (and sentence fragments) which seem to stem from having dictated the stories for typing. And while I understand that the book has that loose, conversational style to it, some tinkering to make it read better would have been appreciated. (Maybe if there's an audiobook version, the text would sound better as it stands.)
Still, I did find it interesting look at general life as an NHL player and did learn a little bit more about Roenick in the process. For a host of illogical reasons, I was a big fan of Phoenix (Coyotes) during the time Roenick was on ice with them, so I've always had a soft spot for him as a player. Besides the fact he was really good, he always was a showman both with his play and his commentary. (In fact, I can think of no better job for him in his post-NHL career as he currently has as a commentator for NBC Sports Network. Sadly, he only tends to do the Western Conference games so I don't get to hear him often but it's a job well-suited for someone who's never been afraid to tell it as he sees it.)
What's funny about the book though, is for all of Roenick's tendency to say what's on his mind - the book opens with "In 2007, I was watching Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby being interviewed live by NBC analyst Pierre McGuire before an NHL playoff game, and I wanted to reach through the television and grab Crosby by the fucking throat." - he's surprisingly balanced in his opinions of players and coaches in the book. He tempers his aggravations with compliments and often admits his opinion on one aspect doesn't change his admiration of another. So it's much less scalding then you might expect.
Roenick is, at the end of the day, in his own words "an entertainer" and hockey fans should enjoy this book whether a Roenick fan specifically or not. It might not be the "tell all" or have as much "shock value" as the cover blurb implies, but its still an entertaining read and interesting for those who enjoy the NHL.
What threw me at first with this book is that it's a memoir and NOT an autobiography. I went into it expecting more about Roenick specifically, where this was more him telling you stories about hockey, his time in the NHL, players and games. You do learn about Roenick in the process but not as much as you would were it a real autobiography. Once I realized that, I liked it more.
At first, I was a little confused about the style of the stories as it felt like a guy just casually talking to you about things that happened or people he knew.
The book also needed more editing. There are a number of grammatical errors and awkward sentences (and sentence fragments) which seem to stem from having dictated the stories for typing. And while I understand that the book has that loose, conversational style to it, some tinkering to make it read better would have been appreciated. (Maybe if there's an audiobook version, the text would sound better as it stands.)
Still, I did find it interesting look at general life as an NHL player and did learn a little bit more about Roenick in the process. For a host of illogical reasons, I was a big fan of Phoenix (Coyotes) during the time Roenick was on ice with them, so I've always had a soft spot for him as a player. Besides the fact he was really good, he always was a showman both with his play and his commentary. (In fact, I can think of no better job for him in his post-NHL career as he currently has as a commentator for NBC Sports Network. Sadly, he only tends to do the Western Conference games so I don't get to hear him often but it's a job well-suited for someone who's never been afraid to tell it as he sees it.)
What's funny about the book though, is for all of Roenick's tendency to say what's on his mind - the book opens with "In 2007, I was watching Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby being interviewed live by NBC analyst Pierre McGuire before an NHL playoff game, and I wanted to reach through the television and grab Crosby by the fucking throat." - he's surprisingly balanced in his opinions of players and coaches in the book. He tempers his aggravations with compliments and often admits his opinion on one aspect doesn't change his admiration of another. So it's much less scalding then you might expect.
Roenick is, at the end of the day, in his own words "an entertainer" and hockey fans should enjoy this book whether a Roenick fan specifically or not. It might not be the "tell all" or have as much "shock value" as the cover blurb implies, but its still an entertaining read and interesting for those who enjoy the NHL.
October 10, 2013
I always found Jeremy Roenick interesting during his playing days. He was a fun, entertaining player, as well as a really good player. What really comes through in this book is his no-hold barred personality. JR doesn't have much of a filter. He fully admits most of his trouble during his career and life is due to his big mouth. Lots of tidbits about his career, including his tenure with several different teams and coaches and his Olympic experiences. Also lots of juicy hockey stories from crazy roadtrips to parties to little antidotes that make you feel like an insider. He is brash, ballsy, extremely opinionated, and the life of the party. He is also extremely knowledgeable about the game and what it takes to win.
I don't watch hockey as much as I used to, probably because fun players like Roenick don't seem to exist anymore. I do enjoy his commentary on NBC. He tells it like it is, and isn't afraid to step on anyone's toes. I completely see how he could rub someone the wrong way, but I enjoy him. I enjoyed this book.
I don't watch hockey as much as I used to, probably because fun players like Roenick don't seem to exist anymore. I do enjoy his commentary on NBC. He tells it like it is, and isn't afraid to step on anyone's toes. I completely see how he could rub someone the wrong way, but I enjoy him. I enjoyed this book.
February 1, 2020
I really don’t know how to rate this book. I appreciated some of the stories and I definitely laughed but I also was disgusted by some stories and the writing was TERRIBLE.
September 25, 2019
J.R. My Life as the Most outspoken, fearless, and hard hitting man in Hockey. The author is Jeremy Roenick with Kevin Allen. At the age of 13 Jeremy Rownick was living in Fairfax, Virginia and was driving 250 miles each way on weekends to play for a hockey team in Totowa, New Jersey. His dad estimated that it cost about $25,000 to play for the New Jersey Rockets. Jeremy Roenick, one of the greatest hockey players of his generation and one of the greatest American stars the NHL has ever known, shares his life story. After making his debut as an 18-year-old with the Chicago Blackhawks, Roenick has a lot of fans because of his awesome hockey style of play. Jeremy Roenick tells the behind the scenes of his career telling stories and explaining relationships he had with coaches players etc. The book is an autobiography about Jeremy Roenick. Which he tells his career before the NHL and during the NHL with multiple stories showing him change over time and his relationships change. I would recommend this book to someone who really enjoys hockey or plays hockey because the autobiography is centered around hockey and will help you understand way better if you understand hockey. I would also recommend this book to people who are a little bit older because there is a lot of swears throughout the book. I would compare this autobiography to the “Who Was” books because they both have a lot of behind the sciences and exciting stories throughout the book.
December 23, 2022
I love JR's honesty and forthrightness. He is as always just telling it as it is. In this book he tells the story of how he became an NHL superstar. He starts in his childhood, goes on through high school, his brief foray into NCAA hockey and lastly his partial year in the QMJHL before getting called up to play for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was always so upfront in his days as a player, and that style just continues with the writing of this book. Parts of this book are especially funny, owing in large part too JR's forthright personality. As always, JR is just going to tell you how it is and isn’t going to hold anything back. Classic JR style.
November 9, 2017
JR is a beauty. Love his unfiltered approach. Being an ex hockey player, some of this talk really brings me back. I love his pro-US his mentality when it comes to hockey. This also gave me a better understanding of his background now that I watch him a few nights a week on NBC. I am a Sharks fan and saw him play in his last 2 seasons. From what I saw, he gave 100% when he was out there and while was mildly distracting at times, it came from a good place as he was a fierce competitor.
January 16, 2018
Jeremy Roenick is a player that in my opinion has not been talked about enough. He doesn’t have the best back story to his success but as seen throughout his book, he had many struggles that he had to deal with over the course of his career.
March 12, 2019
A good book for the hockey lover. A nice, quick read with good info and interesting stories. JR dives into the behind the scenes life of a player in the 90s, 2000s and tells us his honest opinion on opponents, coaches and teammates.
🥅🏒
🥅🏒
September 28, 2019
I was never a fan of Jeremy until I read this book. He is one of the funniest guys I have ever read about I would’ve loved to been in the locker room with him. This book is just hilarious and is completely what JR is all about. This was a great read and tells go to hockey personality like no other
December 31, 2024
I have had the privilege of working in and around a lot of sports and music celebs and have, on occasion, spent some time with JR. This book is ABSOLUTELY him. Hard hitting, insightful, outspoken and fun. This was a Covid summer 2020 read by the pool. Loved it.
January 12, 2018
Excellent Insight into the NHL
The was a great first hand glimpse of the life of an American born NHL’er. Excellent read and I would highly recommend.
The was a great first hand glimpse of the life of an American born NHL’er. Excellent read and I would highly recommend.
June 20, 2019
Brutally honest and unapologetic. A great memoir
February 19, 2025
Review of J.R. can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.
April 1, 2025
Awesome Read !
June 21, 2025
3 worst sports books I've ever read, bronze medal- this one, silver- some book on Eric Lindros, gold (& its not even close), a book on Brian Bosworth.
January 12, 2017
J.R. My life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless, and Hard-Hitting Man in Hockey by Jeremy Roenick makes the reader asking, what was he thinking??!!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B43...
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B43...
December 13, 2018
I am an avid hockey fan. I know Jeremy Roenick as the Phoenix Coyotes player. My knowledge of his history and backstory was severely limited.
This story will give you insight into the world of professional hockey. It will certainly give you background on Jeremy Roenick. He does name drop other hockey players a lot. If you're interested in great hockey names and stories about them, this is a great book for you.
Recommended for all serious hockey fans.
This story will give you insight into the world of professional hockey. It will certainly give you background on Jeremy Roenick. He does name drop other hockey players a lot. If you're interested in great hockey names and stories about them, this is a great book for you.
Recommended for all serious hockey fans.
August 14, 2019
This book was certainly excellent.
March 19, 2017
Not the most well written book I've ever read, but it was entertaining!
May 27, 2015
This was a very enjoyable book to read, even if you're not a huge fan of Jeremy Roenick. I gained a lot of respect for him as a player as a result of reading this. He obviously loves the game of hockey and played with a lot of passion. Over the course of his 20 year career, he became one of a very few American-born players to score more than 500 career goals. Pretty impressive.
Roenick grew up a hockey player. He was playing pee wee hockey at 10 and his parents were traveling to other states to take him to tournaments. He moved around a lot as a kid, mostly due to his father's occupation, but as his hockey playing skills grew, his parents' determination for him to succeed grew, so his dad did something totally bizarre. Rather than take a promotion to a warm weather city like Dallas or LA, he took an entry level demotion to move to Boston so his son could grow up entrenched in a hockey atmosphere, losing some 50% of his income in the process. Still, he must have been doing pretty well, because JR went to prep schools, where he dominated. So much that he got drafted by Chicago after his junior year of high school. He wasn't even 160 pounds yet. Strangely, even though he wasn't into academics, he decided to go to college and went to Boston College -- for 15 minutes. Long enough to read the syllabus for a class and decide it wasn't for him. So soon, he was NHL-bound. He played a year in the minors, but got called up to Chicago and scored. The rest is history. He had a tough coach, was surrounded by good players, was a tough player himself, could score a lot, was a fast skater, a scrapper, and excelled. He lasted eight years in Chicago before they shipped him off to Phoenix, where he stayed for five years. Then he went to Philly, where I think he was also there for about five years. L.A. for one abysmal year, then two years with San Jose, then retirement. Along the way, his body took a lot of punishment. Hundreds of stitches, many broken bones, most teeth busted. Abused. He also partied his ass off, even though he was married. Strangely the book evades the topic of groupies. Gee, I wonder why? LOL! He devotes a chapter to a gambling problem he had, which was pretty bad. He played a lot of pranks. He was the life of the party, an entertainer. When he retired, he didn't know what he wanted to do, but he felt like he wanted to stay in front of the camera. So when NBC offered him his job as an analyst, he jumped for it. And I like watching him now. I think he's very good. There's a funny story in the book about a disagreement he and Mike Milbury had in the studio about a hit on Kris Letang which nearly brought them to blows. Speaking of Penguins stars, in the book's first paragraph, JR calls out Sidney Crosby for not showing enough or proper leadership. Which I tend to agree with, and I'm a huge Pens fan.
This book isn't the best autobiography I've ever read. There should have been more about the game of hockey itself and more hockey stories, with fewer party stories. But it's still quite entertaining. One area of confusion. He goes out of his way to ensure you know he's American, dammit! Yet the book is written in Canadian English (defencemen, cheque, etc). WTF? Whatever. I enjoyed it. If you like hockey, you probably will too. And even if you don't like hockey, but you like a good story, this might be a good book for you. Recommended.
Roenick grew up a hockey player. He was playing pee wee hockey at 10 and his parents were traveling to other states to take him to tournaments. He moved around a lot as a kid, mostly due to his father's occupation, but as his hockey playing skills grew, his parents' determination for him to succeed grew, so his dad did something totally bizarre. Rather than take a promotion to a warm weather city like Dallas or LA, he took an entry level demotion to move to Boston so his son could grow up entrenched in a hockey atmosphere, losing some 50% of his income in the process. Still, he must have been doing pretty well, because JR went to prep schools, where he dominated. So much that he got drafted by Chicago after his junior year of high school. He wasn't even 160 pounds yet. Strangely, even though he wasn't into academics, he decided to go to college and went to Boston College -- for 15 minutes. Long enough to read the syllabus for a class and decide it wasn't for him. So soon, he was NHL-bound. He played a year in the minors, but got called up to Chicago and scored. The rest is history. He had a tough coach, was surrounded by good players, was a tough player himself, could score a lot, was a fast skater, a scrapper, and excelled. He lasted eight years in Chicago before they shipped him off to Phoenix, where he stayed for five years. Then he went to Philly, where I think he was also there for about five years. L.A. for one abysmal year, then two years with San Jose, then retirement. Along the way, his body took a lot of punishment. Hundreds of stitches, many broken bones, most teeth busted. Abused. He also partied his ass off, even though he was married. Strangely the book evades the topic of groupies. Gee, I wonder why? LOL! He devotes a chapter to a gambling problem he had, which was pretty bad. He played a lot of pranks. He was the life of the party, an entertainer. When he retired, he didn't know what he wanted to do, but he felt like he wanted to stay in front of the camera. So when NBC offered him his job as an analyst, he jumped for it. And I like watching him now. I think he's very good. There's a funny story in the book about a disagreement he and Mike Milbury had in the studio about a hit on Kris Letang which nearly brought them to blows. Speaking of Penguins stars, in the book's first paragraph, JR calls out Sidney Crosby for not showing enough or proper leadership. Which I tend to agree with, and I'm a huge Pens fan.
This book isn't the best autobiography I've ever read. There should have been more about the game of hockey itself and more hockey stories, with fewer party stories. But it's still quite entertaining. One area of confusion. He goes out of his way to ensure you know he's American, dammit! Yet the book is written in Canadian English (defencemen, cheque, etc). WTF? Whatever. I enjoyed it. If you like hockey, you probably will too. And even if you don't like hockey, but you like a good story, this might be a good book for you. Recommended.
April 10, 2014
J.R.: My Life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless, and Hard-Hitting Man in Hockey by Jeremy Roenick is an amazing book. I enjoyed reading this book and learning about the life and career of Jeremy Roenick. Jeremy Roenick is a very passionate, outspoken and comedic individual. This book goes into great detail about his life before, during, and after his NHL career. It includes many anecdotes of interactions with fans, one of which caused him to say, “No one will ever accuse me of being politically correct.” Although he could be lighthearted at times, he could also be very serious and would “tell it like it is.” He displays his passionate nature when he says, “NBC didn’t hire me to spoon-feed sugar-coated analysis to the viewers. I was hired to bring passion to the broadcast.” The book also tells about the struggles he and his wife experienced throughout their marriage. Throughout the book Jeremy uses swear words, which may offend certain people however, I think it adds to the drama of the story and can make it more impacting.
As a hockey player, I especially enjoy stories about locker room occurrences, overnight trips, and stays at hotels. Many of these I can relate to and kept me interested in this book. Another reason I enjoyed reading this book is because I am a Chicago Blackhawks fan and Jeremy began his 20 season career there. Being a Blackhawks fan and a hockey player made this book more relatable and provided me a great experience.
I recommend this marvelous book to any Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings or San Jose Sharks fan because he played for these teams. When he played for those teams, he was known for giving back to the fans in many ways. I enjoyed learning about what he did for each program and its fans and I think you will too. I also recommend this book to fellow hockey players because it is great to learn about someone who has played at the highest level. He can set an example, especially when trying to be the best. He said, “One reason our society is messed up these days is the acceptance of mediocrity. We haven’t demanded greatness from ourselves.” He says we need to strive to be the best and settle for nothing less. This is a great goal for everyone and can be applied to anyone. Finally I would recommend his book to anyone wanting to learn more about Jeremy Roenick because this book goes into great detail about his life.
As a hockey player, I especially enjoy stories about locker room occurrences, overnight trips, and stays at hotels. Many of these I can relate to and kept me interested in this book. Another reason I enjoyed reading this book is because I am a Chicago Blackhawks fan and Jeremy began his 20 season career there. Being a Blackhawks fan and a hockey player made this book more relatable and provided me a great experience.
I recommend this marvelous book to any Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings or San Jose Sharks fan because he played for these teams. When he played for those teams, he was known for giving back to the fans in many ways. I enjoyed learning about what he did for each program and its fans and I think you will too. I also recommend this book to fellow hockey players because it is great to learn about someone who has played at the highest level. He can set an example, especially when trying to be the best. He said, “One reason our society is messed up these days is the acceptance of mediocrity. We haven’t demanded greatness from ourselves.” He says we need to strive to be the best and settle for nothing less. This is a great goal for everyone and can be applied to anyone. Finally I would recommend his book to anyone wanting to learn more about Jeremy Roenick because this book goes into great detail about his life.
November 14, 2013
I was apprehensive about reading this book. You see I was born and raised in Chicago, a Blackhawks fan, and I’m about the same age as JR. I remember him as a part of the team and loved to watch him play and I bought a Roenick jersey for my then boyfriend (now husband). Because his history is part of my own, I remember a good deal of the things he’d said and done, and that leads to the reason for my apprehension. Would the stupid things he’s noted for (the ones I don’t know about added to the ones I do) ruin my perception of someone I admired as a hockey player and make me dislike him? I’m happy to say that was not the case.
Oh don’t get me wrong, the man said and did so many stupid, idiotic things it’s almost absurd, but he owns it and it seems that looking back, although he wouldn’t change the majority of it, he has gained enough wisdom in his years to see how ridiculous it was. He comes across to me now like a big goofy puppy; the dog chews on your shoes and steals food off the table but he’s so damn likeable anyway.
He refers to himself as two people, JR and Jeremy, and I think that really comes through in the book. There’s the foul-mouthed, arrogant, elite athlete who chirps first and thinks much later, and there’s a man who has great love for his wife (who should be canonized btw!) and family, and passion and respect for the game of hockey, and those associated with it including the fans. His stories were funny and insightful, and an odd combination of self-deprecating and egotistical that seemed to further solidify his 2 persons in 1 theory.
For the record if you’re easily offended by f-bombs and off-color stories be forewarned (not a problem for me personally). He’s a character with character and is still one of the best players I’ve seen on the ice. I’m proud he was a Blackhawk (even more so now because it seems that as much fondness as he holds for all the teams he played for, he’s got just a bit more love for that Indian head sweater) and I’m glad I read the book. And how can you not like that big dumb dog anyway?
Oh don’t get me wrong, the man said and did so many stupid, idiotic things it’s almost absurd, but he owns it and it seems that looking back, although he wouldn’t change the majority of it, he has gained enough wisdom in his years to see how ridiculous it was. He comes across to me now like a big goofy puppy; the dog chews on your shoes and steals food off the table but he’s so damn likeable anyway.
He refers to himself as two people, JR and Jeremy, and I think that really comes through in the book. There’s the foul-mouthed, arrogant, elite athlete who chirps first and thinks much later, and there’s a man who has great love for his wife (who should be canonized btw!) and family, and passion and respect for the game of hockey, and those associated with it including the fans. His stories were funny and insightful, and an odd combination of self-deprecating and egotistical that seemed to further solidify his 2 persons in 1 theory.
For the record if you’re easily offended by f-bombs and off-color stories be forewarned (not a problem for me personally). He’s a character with character and is still one of the best players I’ve seen on the ice. I’m proud he was a Blackhawk (even more so now because it seems that as much fondness as he holds for all the teams he played for, he’s got just a bit more love for that Indian head sweater) and I’m glad I read the book. And how can you not like that big dumb dog anyway?
July 28, 2023
Jeremy Roenick writes like he plays: from the heart, jumping without looking, and always honestly. JR is known for his speed. Known for his passion. His autobiography, subtitled My Life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless, and Hard-Hitting Man in Hockey, certainly captures that. J.R. is a extremely fun read and is definitely recommended for fans of the game, and especially of Roenick.
JR sidesteps the typical chronological approach of autobiographical storytelling and jumps right into the action. He starts by calling out Sidney Crosby in the first paragraph (And as a Flyers fan? Go get him, JR!) before falling directly into his time as a Blackhawk. JR is honest with his gambling and drinking problems, but also upholds the fact that he has remained with his wife for his entire career. His love for the game is apparent and contagious as even the casual hockey fan will understand and enjoy his story.
JR also rambles. A majority of book almost seems to have been transcribed from JR simply babbling about his life; a lot of asides and random streams of consciousness. But then again… all JR.
As a Flyers fan, I wish that he would have printed more memories from his time in Philadelphia, but the story about his confrontation with head coach Craig Berube was memorable – and hysterical.
One drawback. For all of his love and anguish and time as an American hockey player, why was the book printed using Canadian English? “Centre”, “Defenceman”, what gives, eh?
JR is full of stories. About hockey. About life. J.R. allows the fan to share some time with this great player.
More great stories and reviews are on ice at Read @ Joe's
JR sidesteps the typical chronological approach of autobiographical storytelling and jumps right into the action. He starts by calling out Sidney Crosby in the first paragraph (And as a Flyers fan? Go get him, JR!) before falling directly into his time as a Blackhawk. JR is honest with his gambling and drinking problems, but also upholds the fact that he has remained with his wife for his entire career. His love for the game is apparent and contagious as even the casual hockey fan will understand and enjoy his story.
JR also rambles. A majority of book almost seems to have been transcribed from JR simply babbling about his life; a lot of asides and random streams of consciousness. But then again… all JR.
As a Flyers fan, I wish that he would have printed more memories from his time in Philadelphia, but the story about his confrontation with head coach Craig Berube was memorable – and hysterical.
One drawback. For all of his love and anguish and time as an American hockey player, why was the book printed using Canadian English? “Centre”, “Defenceman”, what gives, eh?
JR is full of stories. About hockey. About life. J.R. allows the fan to share some time with this great player.
More great stories and reviews are on ice at Read @ Joe's
May 10, 2013
I thought that this was an excellent book. I would recommend this book to anyone who has even remotely interested in sports as long as you can get over the fact that it is not censored at all. I would strongly agree with the five stars I am giving this book. I was surprised at how happy I could be with reading an autobiography.
This book is written in first person narration, most of the events were in order of relevance. The book is an autobiography about the life of Jeremy Roenick a known but now retired professional hockey player. Jeremy Roenick shows what life is like while playing hockey from when he was young to the time he Played in the NHL. I believe that the author's purpose was to make an awesome book about himself and all of the truth in playing hockey, I also believe he succeeded. I would say that the theme of this book is life is hard hitting but you have to hit back harder. I think that Roenick loved playing hockey and most likely enjoyed writing this book.
So in total this is an amazing book about not just the life of Jeremy Roenick it also explains all of the struggles to get to the pros. This would be a good read for sports fans and those who like Rough realness.
This book is written in first person narration, most of the events were in order of relevance. The book is an autobiography about the life of Jeremy Roenick a known but now retired professional hockey player. Jeremy Roenick shows what life is like while playing hockey from when he was young to the time he Played in the NHL. I believe that the author's purpose was to make an awesome book about himself and all of the truth in playing hockey, I also believe he succeeded. I would say that the theme of this book is life is hard hitting but you have to hit back harder. I think that Roenick loved playing hockey and most likely enjoyed writing this book.
So in total this is an amazing book about not just the life of Jeremy Roenick it also explains all of the struggles to get to the pros. This would be a good read for sports fans and those who like Rough realness.
October 18, 2013
When Jeremy Roenick was in high school he would be moving from state to state playing in the AAA hockey level. When he was only a junior in high school he was one of the best hockey players in the United States. With being a top draft pick in the NHL at only 17 years old, he was physically not big enough to play at a very highly level of hockey. With weighing less then 150 pounds and going to Chicago Blackhawks training camp. While he was attending school in a PREP school, he would be traveling all over the US to play in front of scouts that would determine his future in the NHL.
Keenan (agent) would help Roenick pick out what he should do with his life. Play hockey at the juniors level, or try and go straight to the NHL. With Reonick being less the 150, he was not strong enough to play with men who are older then 21. He was not physically developed with not lifting weights his whole life and playing off talent. And not it is time to go onto the big league; he needs to get bigger to play with men who are his size. The Blackhawks pick Roenick and wanted him to play in juniors so he could dapple more skill, and start eating right and lifting. After a year of juniors he moved on to play in the NHL and made a huge name for Hawks and himself.
Keenan (agent) would help Roenick pick out what he should do with his life. Play hockey at the juniors level, or try and go straight to the NHL. With Reonick being less the 150, he was not strong enough to play with men who are older then 21. He was not physically developed with not lifting weights his whole life and playing off talent. And not it is time to go onto the big league; he needs to get bigger to play with men who are his size. The Blackhawks pick Roenick and wanted him to play in juniors so he could dapple more skill, and start eating right and lifting. After a year of juniors he moved on to play in the NHL and made a huge name for Hawks and himself.
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