Regret? An Apology? Another Player Speaks

Roenick: "We got our asses kicked" Jeremy Roenick, speaking from Mario Lemieux's charity golf tournament:

"They [the NHLPA] could have listened to the players who had an idea of where this was going - myself, Robert Esche, Jarome Iginla, and Chris Pronger...I really took a beating, a couple of guys took a real beating in February because we decided to do what we wanted to do and claimed that we should have signed that deal in February...If we would have signed that deal in February, in terms of what we're getting now, we would have looked like heroes. Right now we look like a bunch of idiots...The deal in February beats the [expletive] out of the deal we're gonna sign in July." "It's unfortunate we had to go through a whole year to realize the [expletive] that was going on. We've hurt our league, we've hurt the reputation of our league and the integrity of our league by sticking up for something that might not have been the right thing to do." "If people are going to sit and chastise pro athletes for being cocky - for being suck asses - they need to look at one thing and that's the deal we're going to be signing in about three weeks. Pro athletes are not cocky. Pro athletes care about the game. Everybody out there who calls us spoiled because we play a game - they can kiss my ass....I will say personally, personally, to everybody who calls us spoiled, you guys are just jealous, and screw you guys because we have tried so hard to get this game back on the ice to make it better for the fans. And if you don't realize that, don't come. We don't want you in the rink, we don't want you to watch hockey. Period." "We might have won in 1994, the owners will win in 2005, somewhere in the middle let's make the fans win once in a while. Let's get the game better and get back on the ice and play."

Wow. That's a huge statement to make. Clearly, Roenick regrets not getting the February deal. Go to TSN for video of Roenick's statement. Among the new quotes gleaned from the video:

"It's the worst I've been defeated since the 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins when we lost four straight...I think we all are to blame in the situation we're in...granted I really believe that the owners need to have a system that's gonna help them make money...I think the players are gonna make their money, they're gonna make a lot of money regardless, especially the top players of the league....but we have to have a system that's also gonna let the owners make their money, because if the owners don't make their money there's not gonna be a league to be played in....it's gonna be more than any sports organization has ever given up in the history of sports [the new CBA]...I've given $7.5-8 million dollars out of my pocket to try and get this game back on the ice, and a lot of guys have also."

Links: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review TSN