Let Him Entertain You

Rolling down the Imperial Highway ...

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Jeremy Roenick was behind the wheel of his silver Porsche -- rolling down Imperial Highway -- chic sunglasses cutting down the glare and cellphone in hand. He might as well have been signing off on a deal to co-star with Bruce Willis.

Instead, retired Arizona Diamondback first baseman Mark Grace, an old friend, was on the line.

“Gracie, how are ya? What do you think I’m doing, I’m cruising around in the Southern California sun. Hey, we’re all going to Sky Bar tonight, come on by.”

Rarely have an athlete and a city seemed to mesh so well.

This is Los Angeles -- La-la-land, at least to those from the East Coast -- where palm trees and three-movie deals grow and media outlets are on nearly every street corner.

When the salary-heavy Philadelphia Flyers had to unload Roenick and his $4.94-million contract in August, he approved two destinations: Phoenix, where he lives with his family in the off-season, and Los Angeles, which, to him, was to die for.

“This is Tinseltown, this is L.A.,” said Roenick, a seven-time NHL All-Star. “People here have heard it all and seen it all.

“There are bunch of actors here and, God knows, I have been an actor for a long time now in one way or another. I have always enjoyed the camera and I always enjoyed a microphone and there seems to be an abundance of those things here.”

Scene one. Take one. Roll film.

The greatest marketing tool the Kings could have hoped for in this post-lockout era is now at their disposal.

*

... Santa Ana winds blowin’ hot from the north and we was born to ride ...

Roenick was handed a microphone during a Kings’ promotional event and skated toward the 200 or so fans watching rinkside. Like a big-tent faith healer, he raised his left hand and said, “Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your neighbors, come on out and watch us play.”

The Kings have had high-profile players before, the highest when Wayne Gretzky arrived in 1988. But this, everyone says, is different. Gretzky is portrayed more as a fine wine, to be sipped and savored. Roenick comes off as a brew at the bar, with a handful of beer nuts.

There was the Great One and now there’s the Great Tongue.

“It’s totally different than Wayne,” said King forward Luc Robitaille, who played with Gretzky. “Wayne is Wayne, and there is nobody like him. But J.R. is what this city needs [for hockey].

“I was here when the Lakers had ‘Showtime,’ with Magic and those guys. It was entertaining. That’s what J.R. brings to our team. He’s going to make sure the fans are going to be entertained.”

The entertainment value could come in handy. With Phil Jackson back in town as the Lakers’ coach, the Angels in the playoffs, USC ranked No. 1, UCLA undefeated, and the Dodgers letting their manager go, who can get Southern Californians even thinking about hockey?

Roenick can, even if his brand of entertainment has been controversial at times. For example, his comments that the hit he took two weeks ago from Phoenix’s Denis Gauthier was unnecessary and his criticism of Canadians became media fodder for days, especially north of the border.

“I don’t stop myself [from talking],” said Roenick, who suffered his 11th concussion as a result of that hit. “But sometimes when I leave, I go, ‘That one is going to be heard. That one is going to cause a problem.’ Sometimes I care, sometimes I don’t.”

*

... roll down the window, put down the top ...

Roenick stepped into the limelight, with half a dozen cameras and a room full of reporters at his coming-out news conference in August. He was asked about the Mighty Ducks, that team down in Anaheim, and said, “We’re going to kick their [butts].” Asked later if he wanted to amend that, he said, “No, because we are going to kick their [butts].”

King General Manager Dave Taylor thought he was getting a veteran center, one who had Hall of Fame credentials but was in the final face-offs of his 17-season career. Of course, Taylor had heard the Roenick sound bites but said he went for a player, not a personality.

Taylor soon found out he had both.

Roenick, who is 25 goals shy of becoming the second American-born player to score 500 in the NHL (Joe Mullen, now a coach with Pittsburgh, was the first), brought west the type of chatter too often missing from the Southern California NHL scene.

“I didn’t realize what kind of impact he has,” Taylor said. “I got a good indication of that at the first press conference.”

His impact on the ice is to be seen. At 35, and with those 11 concussions, Roenick admits he may not be the player he once was. But there is still considerable talent, as his three assists in the Kings’ first exhibition showed.

Off the ice, well, the Kings’ marketing and media relations departments are still a bit dizzy.

Roenick has appeared on “Last Call With Carson Daly,” “Party at the Palms With Jenny McCarthy,” “Best Damn Sports Show Period” as well as appearances on sports news shows throughout the Southland.

“I was born to do stuff like this,” Roenick said. “I was born to talk. I have always been like this. I wasn’t really a class clown [growing up]. But I always had fun and I wasn’t boring to be around.”

*

... from the South Bay to the Valley, from the West Side, to the East Side...

Arena workers were fixing the boards in Las Vegas during a Kings’ exhibition. Roenick, supervising their efforts, began swaying to the disco beat that was playing. Fans squealed. He gyrated toward center ice, where the spotlight picked him up and followed him through a four-minute dance routine.

There is opportunity for that under the Southern California sun, as well.

Roenick said he has already been approached about movie and television cameos. But for all the glitz and glam, he has demonstrated his blue-collar nature.

Out with that concussion last week, Roenick spent one game walking around Staples Center talking with fans. “If it wasn’t for the fans, we would all just be playing in some beer league,” he said.

The moment sat in stark contrast to his comment in July that fans who called players “spoiled” could “kiss my [butt]” -- a quote Roenick doesn’t deny but said was directed only at the non-hockey fans who had been criticizing players.

The meet-and-greet efforts are a nice touch, but what fans are waiting for is success on the ice. Roenick, they hope, will be a big part of that.

“Part of the game passed me by,” Roenick said.

“I don’t think I can be the best player in the league. I don’t think I can be [among] the top-10 best players in the league. I still know I can score 60-70 points in this league.

“I know I can add leadership to a team and that I can add entertainment to the fans.”

*

... everybody’s very happy ‘cause the sun is shining all the time ...

Roenick scooped a tortilla chip into some cheese and spinach dip during another media moment, this one over lunch in El Segundo. He scoffed when asked whether he’d done the L.A. scene tourist style.

He already knows his way around -- both the city and an interview.

“Buddy, I have been coming here since I was 17 years old,” Roenick said. “We would come here for three or four days and I would rent a Harley.

“I would see every nook and cranny of this town, some that I shouldn’t have ever seen and that I was lucky to get out of.”

So rolling down Imperial Highway, the day was ahead of Roenick. Practice was done for the day, the sun was still up, the beach was an option and, of course, there was the Sky Bar later.

... looks like another perfect day ...

“I love Manhattan Beach so much,” Roenick said. “It’s probably my favorite spot here. Then I love going into Beverly Hills. I love going to Sky Bar. I love going to Koi for a meal.”

... I love L.A.