Roenick is never at a loss for words.

He is not only one of the best players and quotes in the League, Roenick is also one of the most knowledgeable and approachable athletes in all of professional sports. If you want to know whether or not the NHL should adopt international rules into their game, go ask Jeremy. If you want to know the differences between playing hockey on the East Coast as opposed to the West Coast, go ask Roenick. Need to know more about the NHL's best-kept secrets like Teppo Numminen and Cliff Ronning, again, JR can help you out. If you want to know how players should act both on and off the, just ask No. 97.

"I think players have to be very friendly in all aspects of the game. There is a time and place for the game to be played and for the game to be played hard," Roenick said. "But there's also a time and place where the antics and the different characters, different people, can come out; so I think that the fans can get a better association with the athletes. That's my opinion. I hate the closed-door mentality, the no-smile mentality, the old-school mentality. The old school mentality is great with the hard nose and stuff like that, but I believe that the NHL has, without a doubt, the most accessible, nicest, people in terms of athletes in any of the major sports.

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"I think if people realize that, they will be more inclined to watch and learn about the game, and that's part of our problem is getting people to watch it and understand our game and to learn about it. You know, people say it's boring to watch on TV. Well, you can't tell me that watching a hockey game is more boring than watching a baseball game."

If you stay around Roenick long enough, you might even get him to talk about what would happen if he ever had to take a penalty shot on Colorado's great goalie, Patrick Roy.

The two NHL super stars have a history that dates back to the 1996 playoffs when both players not only went toe-to-toe on the ice, but also exchanged verbal barbs through the media. The exchanges came to a head after Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals when Roenick, with his team leading the series 2-1, was tripped in overtime by Sandis Ozolinsh. Roenick thought a penalty shot should have been called. The Avs eventually went on to win the game, series and Cup that year, but not before Roy could comment on the non-call, saying that it didn't matter because he would have stopped Roenick, who had five goals and seven assists in the playoffs that year, on the free shot anyway.

When Roenick was informed at the time of Roy's comments, he had this to say: "That should have been a penalty shot, no doubt. I like Patrick's comment that he would have stopped me. I'd like to know where Patrick was in Game 3 (when I scored on him), probably up trying to get his jock out of the rafters."

Not to be out-done, Roy came back: "I can't hear what Jeremy says, because I got my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ears."

The battle continued in April, 2000 when Roenick and the Phoenix Coyotes faced-off against Roy and the Avalanche in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Before the series even got under way, Roy chirped that his squad was going to win the series, even though they were without Peter Forsberg. Roenick fired back to that comment with: "He said it doesn't matter if Forsberg's in or out, (Colorado) is still a better team. They asked me to comment on that quote. It really doesn't matter what I say because Patrick can't hear me with his rings in his ears anyway," Roenick told Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post.

Roenick and Roy have a history that dates back to the 1996 playoffs when both players not only went toe-to-toe on the ice, but also exchanged verbal barbs through the media.

Looking back today, Roenick just smiles.

"When I think back, it's one of my more memorable playoff experiences. The intensity was very high. The games were very good. And the action was good on and off the ice between Patrick and myself, jabbing back at each other. That made ESPN's top quotes of the year. It signified what playoff time is all about -- the competitiveness, and, obviously, the difference in opinion on certain things. I think it brought Patrick and I closer together in terms of our friendship because I think we both realized how competitive we are and how much we both hate to lose and hate to be downplayed. I think because of that, we've grown more respectful of each other."

Roenick has also done some serious talking on the ice during his career. The Boston native not only helped the United States capture a silver medal at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City by tallying one goal and four assists for five points, he also became the 63rd player in NHL history and only the fourth American to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

Roenick notched his 1,000th point on Jan. 30, 2002 when he tallied the Flyers' only goal in a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. While he was disappointed that the milestone didn't come in a victory, he was happy nonetheless.

"It would have been nicer if we had won, but I feel very proud of it. No question," Roenick said. "There are some great hockey players who have done it."

The 15-year NHL veteran is the seventh player in Flyers history to reach the milestone. He joins Bob Clarke, Darryl Sittler, Paul Coffey, Dale Hawerchuk, Brian Propp and Mark Recchi on that special list. Roenick is also the fourth American-born player to reach the plateau, joining Joe Mullen, Phil Housley and Pat Lafontaine.

Roenick is quick to cite his teammates for their role in his success. He is quick to sing the praises of two former teammates he feels don't get enough credit – Phoenix defenseman Teppo Numminen and Minnesota Wild center Cliff Ronning.

"Numminen is the best player that nobody knows about, that's my opinion," Roenick says. "He's the most underrated player in the National Hockey League, especially at his position. He's one of the guys who comes to the rink, doesn't say two words when he gets there. He laces his skates up and gives 150 percent and goes out on the ice and doesn't complain about a single thing.

Roenick: If (Numminen) was in New York or Philadelphia, he would be up for the Norris Trophy, I think every single year.

"In actuality, he is a team's dream. He goes out and he's pretty much almost perfect every night. You can't see a flaw in him, and I think that's one of greatest things you can say about a player is you can't tell when he makes a mistake, and that's just how solid he is. It's unfortunate that he's not known as much for his talent and his prowess. I think maybe if he was more vocal or a little bit more off the cuff, you would probably know about him a little bit more. If he was in New York or Philadelphia, he would be up for the Norris Trophy, I think every single year, but he's in a smaller market in terms of media coverage. And I think he chooses to be the quiet guy in the locker room and just lead by example. That just makes him all the more a better person."

"Ronning's one of my favorite teammates I've had in my 14 years. He was my roommate for three years in Phoenix and probably one of the true freaks of nature that there are in sports today," Roenick said. "How you can have a guy who is 5-foot-6, 5-foot-7, whatever he is, dominate a hockey game like he does? He's tremendously skilled. He's tremendously poised for being a little guy, and he is very, very, very smart in terms of knowing where to be and where the puck needs to be at the right time. Not to mention you can't catch him.

"He is the best shinny hockey guy the world will see. He plays shinny hockey 12 months a year and never seems to get out of shape. I think he's been a great, great ambassador for the game because he's shown a lot of the kids that no matter what size you are, you can still thrive as a pro athlete. And I think Cliffy is just a wonderful man. He's a little waterbug on skates. He's mastered the art of his edges and being able to just stop and turn on a dime and avoid the monsters that are chasing him; yet, his hands and his shot are very precise. So, you follow that, along with his mind and it shows you that you can survive no matter what size you are."

But when asked who would have come out on top in the penalty shot showdown between Roy and himself, Roenick is more diplomatic.

"I think Patrick knows he would have stopped me on a penalty shot and I know I would have scored on the penalty shot and nobody is going to tell us different."

That is, unless you ask Jeremy.