This Day in Hockey History – August 4, 2005 – Southern California Dreamin

Aug 4, 2019

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“I think there’s going to be a rebirth of hockey here in Southern California,” said Jeremy Roenick. “I’m really excited to be part of that.” The Philadelphia Flyers traded center Jeremy Roenick to the Los Angeles Kings because acquiring Peter Forsberg put them over the salary cap. At the same time, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim lured defenseman Scott Niedermayer away from the New Jersey Devils by giving him the opportunity to skate with his brother Rob. After much wheeling and dealing on Wednesday, the chips had all fallen into place and the press was informed on Thursday, August 4, 2005. Southern California became the center of hockey news thanks to two popular east-coast players relocating to the west coast.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Anaheim got the better player in 32-year-old Neidermayer but Los Angeles got the better entertainer in 35-year-old Roenick. The former had received the Norris Trophy in 2004 and had won three Stanley Cup championships during his 12 seasons in New Jersey. The latter had played in nine All-Star games during his 16 NHL seasons and then made some choice comments during the lockout that left him saying, “My recognizability in the last three months has skyrocketed.” GM Dave Taylor put it bluntly, “Hockey is a foreign sport out here. We have to do whatever we can to sell it. We’ve been away too long, so players like Jeremy will help us bring it back.”

Roenick’s trade came about thanks to the salary cap. Over the course of four hours, GM Bob Clarke worked out a $5.7-million deal with Forsberg that put the Flyers over the $39-million cap. Clarke called Roenick five times during the proceedings to keep him informed. Roenick said, “I can’t say enough about Clarke. It was hard for him to do what he had to do, but he went far out of his way to try and make sure that I was well taken care of. That’s something you don’t get in professional sports when something like this happens, and for that I will be grateful forever.”

To make room for the Flyers, Roenick had waived his no-trade clause as long as he went to Los Angeles or Phoenix, because he had a home in Scottsdale, Arizona. Taylor called Clarke in the early hours of the morning on his way into the office. He said, “We talked with Philly about a minute after the Forsberg deal was done. The deal made a lot of sense for us. We were able to add a first-line forward and a player who brings characteristics of a power forward that fits well with the mix of players we already have.” The Kings got the final year of Roenick’s $4.94-million contract and a third-round draft pick cheap, just in return for “future considerations.”

The Kings’ interest in Roenick had a lot to do with their star, Luc Robitaille, who apparently told Roenick he was going to ask management to go after him. Robitaille explained, “We were a team that was trying to make the playoffs, now we’re a team that wants to win the playoffs, and that’s a big, big difference. That’s what Jeremy is about. This guy is a playoff performer. He’s a big-game performer. He’s a big mouth too. He’s got it all.” At the announcement, Roenick half-jokingly said, “The quest to get Luc 30 goals this year is going to weigh heavily on my mind because that’s what he told me I have to do if I came here.” Robitaille looked forward to skating with Roenick, saying, “This guy is Showtime, this guy is Magic Johnson. Man, this year is going to be so much fun. … L.A. needed to get a player like this, and in reality, the NHL needed L.A. to get a player like this.”

Philadelphia was sad to see Roenick go, and Los Angeles was glad to have him. Clarke commented, “J.R. was everything we thought he’d be. He never took a night off and he was exceptionally good with [the media]. Sometimes we wish he would have thought a little more before he said some things, but at no time did he ever not give everything to this team or this organization.” Then Taylor said, “He brings a lot of passion, whether he’s driving to the net or hitting someone into the boards or talking about the game. He speaks from the heart, and it’s very, very colorful.” On leaving, Roenick said, “My heart is really hurt. … It hurts to know that they are going to have a good team this year and I’m not going to be a part of it.” On arriving, he said, “I think L.A. is going to have a very good hockey team this year. It’s a place I wanted to play my whole career.”

For Niedermayer, the move was about making positive changes, not leaving negative circumstances. “It was tough. There was no reason to want to leave New Jersey. It was more that there were more reasons to go to Anaheim.” He continued, “In New Jersey, I was very comfortable. I knew exactly how everything worked and all I had to do was play hockey. This is going to be a new experience. I think an exciting part of life is doing new and different things.” Not to mention, his parents lived in British Columbia, his in-laws were in California, and, most importantly, his brother played in Anaheim.

Scott and Rob, only 16 months apart, had been teammates growing up only to have to oppose each other in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final. According to Scott, “Since I was 16 and he was 15, we’ve been apart playing hockey and now we have the opportunity to play on the same team. When we played in the world championship for Canada [in 2004], it was a lot of fun. It felt extra special.” Rob agreed, saying, “We thought it would be nice to experience that for a whole season. When he decided to come, I was probably one of the happiest guys around.” At first, it seemed they might only be together a season, until Rob’s contract was extended. When asked about that, Scott remarked, “It was Rob’s choice, not mine. Obviously there was one more year that we could have played together and that was enough for me. If it’s going to be more than that, even better.”

Ducks GM Brian Burke went on a whirlwind three-day tour to convince Niedermayer that, as he said, “I’m the only GM that can check off every item on [Scott’s] list.” He also remarked, “This was a no-brainer to go after [Scott]. This guy is a proven winner and he has the jewelry to prove it.” According to Epp, “I think he took it upon himself to do everything to make the deal happen. At a point Tuesday night, we were still thinking that there was a possibility that Scott was going to be back in New Jersey. When we got to Vancouver, everything really changed. [Scott and Rob] believed what he had to say. The more Brian got to know them as people, the more he wanted them.”

Thus, he signed Scott to a $27-million contract ($6.75 million per season), which was lower than the Devils’ offer. Burke had originally approached Rob (a restricted free agent acquired in 2003) with a qualifying offer of almost $1.6 million but then ended up giving him a four-year contract for $8 million ($2 million per season). Burke remarked, “I made these moves to help our club. Now, if we sell some tickets, well, great.” Soon after joining the team, Scott was made captain of the Ducks.

Due to their proximity, the Kings and the Ducks had a rivalry going. When Roenick was traded to Los Angeles, he trash-talked Anaheim, despite being scheduled to throw the first pitch at a baseball game there. “Does Anaheim even have a city? Are there big buildings there? . . . Here in L.A., we have lots of big buildings. We’re a city.” He continued, “I think I fit in very well in L.A. I’m an L.A. kind of guy.” After all, “It fits my personality. It fits my style of game … a great pick for me.” Finally, he focused on the hockey saying, “I can see them trying to do a lot of good things in Anaheim. I still think we’ll kick their ass.”

As it turned out, during the 2005-06 season, the Ducks finished third in the Pacific Division with 98 points (43-27-12) while the Kings trailed them with 89 points (42-35-5). The Ducks made it to the conference finals while the Kings missed the playoffs. On July 4, Roenick signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, where he had played before Philadelphia. He spent a year there followed by two with the San Jose Sharks before retiring on August 6, 2009. Meanwhile, the Niedermayer brothers played for the Ducks in 2007, as they became the first Californian team to win the Stanley Cup, with Scott receiving the Conn Smythe Trophy. Two years later, Rob signed with Scott’s former team in New Jersey while Scott remained with the Ducks until retiring on June 22, 2010. After these careers ended, the Kings finally won the Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014.

Additional Sources:

“Two Real Ice Breakers,” Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2005, pp. D1 and D6.
Helene Elliott, “Keeping Up With Burke Can’t Hurt Kings,” Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2005, p. D6.
Steve King, “With Time Running Out, Clarke Scores,” Philadelphia Daily News, 5 Aug. 2005, p. 116.
Ed Barkowitz, “Roenick emotional over trade to Kings,” Philadelphia Daily News, 5 Aug. 2005, p. 117.
Tim Panaccio, “Bittersweet goodbye: Flyers send Roenick to L.A.,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 5 Aug. 2005, p. D7.
“Ducking Out,” Hackensack Record, 5 Aug. 2005, pp. S1-S2.