Roenick Gets More Playoff Frustration

The door to the Phoenix Coyotes’ dressing room swung open Tuesday morning and Jeremy Roenick hobbled out on his crutches, wearing a faint smile for the TV cameras awaiting him in the corridor.

“What’s going to be tough is that first faceoff, seeing [Paul] Kariya and [Teemu] Selanne out there and not being out there for the stare down before the puck drops,” Roenick said. “It’s the first time I won’t be able to do anything against them.”

Roenick played superb two-way hockey for six games of the Coyote-Mighty Duck Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series. But a torn ligament in his left knee sidelined him for the seventh and deciding game at the Pond.

Instead of taking the opening faceoff, Roenick watched from the press box, too high and too far to lend any support of any kind.

Instead of pestering Kariya and setting up teammates for scoring chances, he wore a gray suit and sat in a folding chair.

It was a frustrating position for Roenick to be in, but not the first time in his career he spent an important playoff game watching from outside the rink.

Last season while playing for Chicago, he spent much of a playoff game slamming his palm against the glass while encouraging goaltender Ed Belfour during the Blackhawks’ series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A sprained ankle felled him for the start of the playoffs last season. Two years ago, it was an injury to his left knee.

This time, an open-ice collision with Duck forward Ted Drury gruesomely bent Roenick’s knee. He vowed never to watch a replay, but Tuesday caught a glimpse of himself on TV.

Roommate Cliff Ronning had SportsCenter on and Roenick couldn’t leave the room fast enough to avoid seeing himself fall to the ice in agony.

“I think he was grossed out by it a little bit,” Ronning said. “I think he was shocked to see it. I think he thought it was dumb of him to leave himself so exposed like that.

“He’s actually lucky there wasn’t more damage. It’s damage that can be fixed.”

Roenick learned Monday he won’t need surgery, but will be sidelined four to six weeks.

Phoenix General Manager Bobby Smith pinned the blame for Roenick’s injury on Drury, but Roenick would not.

Smith called the hit “a deliberate attempt by a lower-level player to influence the game anyway he can, which is to injure our top players.”

Roenick cannot accept Smith’s version of the events of the second period Sunday.

“All the quotes and comments aren’t going to make me heal any better,” Roenick said. “I’m sure [Drury] feels bad about.”

This much was certain Tuesday: The Coyotes desperately needed Roenick. He alone was responsible for shadowing Kariya throughout the series and shutting him out in Coyote victories in Games 4 and 5.

Freed from Roenick’s harassment Tuesday, Kariya had more time and space to work his offensive magic. That was never more apparent than during Kariya’s spectacular end-to-end rush that set up the Ducks’ second goal.

Kariya rocketed past first Dallas Drake then Teppo Numminen on the way to the net. Steve Rucchin then shoveled in a rebound to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead.

“Obviously when ‘J.R.’ wasn’t on the ice it was different because Paul definitely sensed more freedom,” Coyote center Bob Corkum said after Game 6.

It was true again in Game 7 and Roenick could only watch helplessly from afar.