Page 6 - WLC YEAR 2 (FINAL WITH ADS)_Neat
P. 6

IN T E R V IE W





         J E R E M Y




         R O E N IC K



































         WITH THE LITTLE CAPS JEREMY ROENICK SCORED 292 POINTS


                 IN A SINGLE SEASON ... AND MADE A FRIEND FOR LIFE


        IN the early 1980s, Matt Mallgrave was the   up  to  tryout  at  Fort  DuPont  ice  rink.   ?He   and  I  would  score  four  or  five  goals  per
        star  center  for  the  Washington  Metros,  the   was very small, he could barely see over the   game.  We were on it.  We were a tough team
        team  that  became  the  Washington  Little   boards.?  But as soon as Ryan saw Roenick   to beat.?
        Capitals, and arguably the best youth hockey   skate, he says, ?I was like ?Holy moly.?
                                                                                       ?Jeremy?s  father  Wally  was  the  assistant
        player south of New York.
                                                Roenick  made  the  team  and  he  Mallgrave   coach,? Mallgrave recalls. ?I remember him
        Then, before the start of his pee wee season,   quickly became best friends ? and a force to   chain  smoking  cigarettes  on  the  bench.   It
        Mallgrave  recalls,  ?We  heard  that  there?s   be  reckoned  with  on  the  ice.   Mallgrave   was a different era.  Bob Siblo was the head
        supposedly this hot shot coming down from   recalls  the  first  time  they  faced  off  against   coach.   My  dad  was  the  president  of  the
        Connecticut.?                           each other in a scrimmage.             organization.?

        The hotshot?s name was Jeremy Roenick.    ?I  was  the  center,  he  was  the  center.   I   Mallgrave?s father saved the score sheet from
                                                remember it like it was yesterday.  Fairfax,   their  first  pee  wee  season  in  Washington.
        "My  dad  was  an  executive  with  Mobil  Oil
                                                1982.  He scored six goals.?           Mallgrave scored an unbelievable 200 points
        and  his  headquarters  was  there  in  Fairfax,?                              in  77  games  (101  goals  and  91  assists).
        Roenick  recalls.  ?So  that?s  where  we  went   ?Between  him  and  I,  we  were  a   That?s an average of 2.6 points a game.
        and I was looking for places to play and we   powerhouse,? Roenick says. ?We had him on
        found a nice team ? at the time it was called   one  line  and  me  on  another  line  and  we   But even with those stunning totals, he came
        the Washington Metros.?                 shook up a lot of teams that didn?t take us   in second  in scoring on the team.  Roenick
                                                seriously.   We  beat  teams  because  we  had   put up 292 points that season (201 goals and
        One  of  his  coaches,  Tony  Ryan,  recalls  the
                                                two  lines  and  a  great  goaltender,  Chris   91  assists)  ?  an  average  of  3.79  points  a
        first time he saw Roenick when he  showed
                                                Nickerson,  to  keep  us  in  the  game.   Matty   game.

                                                                                                                        6
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11