Former NHL Star Jeremy Roenick Was Forced To Watch USA Hockey Win Gold Deep In Enemy Territory
This had to be torture.
Hockey Hall of Famer Jeremy Roenick was able to watch the U.S. men's hockey team earn its first gold medal in 46 years with its overtime victory over Canada, but it's fair to say he didn't get to witness history being made from an ideal viewing spot.
Roenick, who played in nearly 1,400 NHL games in his career, wasn't on-site in Italy to watch the Americans get the job done, nor was he able to watch the contest from the comfort of his own home. Instead, he had to watch the contest at the airport, and not just any airport, but an airport in Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, surrounded by Canadians.
During an appearance on Fox Sports Radio, Roenick explained that he was in Regina doing an event, which forced him into having to watch the gold medal game deep in enemy territory.
"I got to see the whole game in the airport, and I'm surrounded by Canadians," Roenick explained. "It's on every TV and every station in the airport, and I'm staying kind of quiet because everybody knows that I'm American, and by the way, everyone knows me because it's Canada.
"I'm pulling my hat down, trying to be conspicuous, and I'm screaming at the television and watching everything that's happening. Nervous like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, I'm dying! And that puck went into the net in overtime, and the entire airport went silent, like it was a morgue in there."
While unique and not exactly ideal, it had to feel pretty great to be an American inside a Canadian airport, witnessing the red, white, and blue take down Canada in what was unquestionably the greatest American hockey game since the Miracle on Ice in 1980.
On the other hand, not being able to scream at the top of your lungs and run around the room like plenty of Americans did when Jack Hughes scored the game-winner had to be a tough battle for Roenick.
Oh, but that airport beer mixed with American pride deep inside enemy territory had to be an absolute all-timer.