http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/2939
Retire Roenick's 27? Sorry, can't do it
Posted by TimS on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 01:26
Let me state, for the record, that Jeremy Roenick was one of my all-time favorite Blackhawks, right there behind Bobby Hull and Denis Savard.
But when it comes to retiring Roenick’s No. 27, I can’t jump on that bandwagon.
He just didn’t play here long enough, or win a Stanley Cup.
How can you retire Roenick’s number, or even Chris Chelios’ No. 7, if you don’t hang Steve Larmer’s No. 28 or Doug Wilson’s No. 24 up there as well?
Larmer and Wilson never won a Cup here either, but they had longevity and were special, special players.
There’s no way Roenick or Chelios get their numbers retired ahead of Larmer, who ranks third all-time in goals with 406 as a Hawk, behind only Hull and Stan Mikita.
Larmer’s 923 points rank fourth behind Mikita, Hull and Savard.
And what about the old-timers, who are forgotten altogether?
Bill Mosienko scored 258 goals back when 20 goals in a season was like 45 today and is in the Hall of Fame.
Earl Seibert is a Hall of Fame defenseman, but his No. 17 is not hanging in the rafters.
Harold “Mush” March and Johnny Gottselig each won two Stanley Cups and were big goal scorers in their day. That’s two of the three Cups the Hawks have won.
Ever.
Maybe the Hawks need to do something like the Maple Leafs and recognize those great players in the arena in some special way short of retiring their numbers.
Let’s remember there were great Hawks before Hull, Mikita, Savard, Tony Esposito, Glenn Hall, Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson.