Lucky bounces for Roenick

SAN JOSE, Calif. – If Jeremy Roenick gets his wish, he never again will see the puck that represents the historic 500th goal of his career.

After becoming the third American-born skater to reach the NHL milestone behind Dallas' Mike Modano (511) and the retired Joe Mullen (502), Roenick sought out Doug Wilson following Saturday night's 4-1 win over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes and handed the San Jose Sharks general manager the special memento.

"Without him offering me this opportunity, this wouldn't have happened," an emotional Roenick said. "It's only fitting he has it. I hope he keeps and doesn't give it back to my wife."

Roenick soaked up every ounce of the history Saturday. Announced as the game's No. 1 star afterward, he skated from the team's bench across the ice while giving his 10-year-old son, Brett, a piggyback ride.

"It's probably the biggest milestone I've seen as a player," Sharks center Joe Thornton said. "A lot of people said he wouldn't play this year, but he's having a great year for us, scoring goals, providing leadership. What else can you ask of the guy?"

In his 19th season and playing for his fifth NHL team, the 37-year-old Boston native ranks third in both points (1,180) and games played (1,267) for American-born players. His first goal came Feb. 14, 1989, against Minnesota North Stars goalie Kari Takko.

In the locker room, Roenick spoke about the irony of scoring memorable goals in old Chicago Stadium (first home rink) and old Boston Garden (birth city) and against Phoenix (city where he resides).

"It's weird how things have happened in my career," Roenick said. "I wasn't expecting it to come this early in the season. I thought December or early January I'd be looking at this, not early November. I'm fortunate it's worked out so well."

The historic goal occurred at 6:35 of the second period in an unlikely manner.

Leading a breakout through the neutral zone, Roenick veered from center toward the right boards to allow time for linemates to get in position for his planned dump-in.

Roenick slapped the puck off the near boards, but the hard carom took a strange bounce off the glass right toward the Phoenix goal. Coyotes goalie Alex Auld was out of his net in anticipation of the puck going into the corner and hoped to intercept it before it crossed the line and into the goalie's no-touch zone.

Because of the crazy ricochet, Auld lost sight of it, and the puck squeezed between his skates and the near post and rolled parallel to the goal line. Auld blindly reached with his stick and inadvertently backhanded the puck barely over the line.

"Tomorrow in the paper it's going to be top shelf, back of the net," Roenick said.

Roenick knew immediately what it meant, his joining the 500 club and tying Lanny McDonald at No. 39 on the NHL's all-time goals list. The goal came at even-strength and was unassisted.

"J.R. has a lot of passion, and you saw what it meant to him," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "I think in that moment he didn't care how ugly the goal was. I think it hit him that, 'Geez, I never thought I'd score 500 after what happened last year.' "

Roenick circled the offensive zone, his arms open to the heavens, his stick raised high, and pumped his fists several times as he glided toward the home bench. There, Roenick was hugged, slapped on the helmet and congratulated by all of his teammates on the bench as applause from the full house of 17,496 filled the Shark Tank.

"To do it in front of these fans, who have treated me very well since I came here, is great, especially when a lot of people around the country have left me out with the dogs," said Roenick, the 27th player to score his 500th at home. "This group has really accepted me, given me a great feeling to wake up every morning and come to work."

Ironic, too, the goal would come against Phoenix and coach Wayne Gretzky. Last year as a member of the Coyotes, Roenick stormed out of GM Place in Vancouver shortly before game time after being told he was a healthy scratch. He watched the game from a nearby restaurant in a gesture suggesting he was challenging Gretzky's authority.

"It was a nice night for J.R.," said Gretzky, No. 1 on the all-time list of goals with 894. "It's good for him, and it's good for his family."

"He probably thought I was going to retire this year, too," Roenick said of Gretzky. "To have a great ambassador of the game here to witness it, too, was special."

Not bad for a guy who was convinced he was done with the game during the summer months.

"You should have seen my summer routine through June and July," Roenick kidded. "You would have said there's no way this kid is going to be playing. I was on the golf course every single day, and a bottle of wine every night with my wife. I was on retirement mode for sure."

But when Wilson – Roenick's first roommate – called and offered a chance to play a role with a contender even if he could only pay a team-low $500,000, Roenick jumped at the chance.

"It's not quite Teemu Selanne, but everybody laughed when Anaheim re-signed him a few years ago and Teemu bounced back," Ron Wilson said.

The last couple of years have threatened to rain on an otherwise sunny career. Trouble started during the lockout when Roenick went on television and said any fans who perceives NHL players as being greedy or spoiled are just jealous, and they could "kiss my ass." He claimed USA Hockey blackballed him from the 2006 Winter Olympics, the same year it was reported Roenick had been identified as one of several NHL players implicated in Operation Slapshot – an operation created with the intent to expose an organized gambling ring.

Roenick has been a different man for the Sharks. He deflects attention to others, is enthusiastic and supportive during practices and games and doesn't carp about being a healthy scratch or seeing limited action on a fourth line.

"This could be my last year, my last chance, and I'm going to make sure I'm going to have fun doing it," Roenick said. "I'm in the perfect position."

And thanks to a fortuitous bounce Saturday night, in an exclusive club, too.