The one-and-only J.R.: 27 fond memories

It's Jeremy Roenick Heritage Night at the United Center tonight as the Blackhawks welcome back one of the most popular players in franchise history.

Here are 27 things we'll always remember about the one and only J.R.

1. Starred at Thayer Academy near Boston, where he skated on the same line with boyhood pal and future Hawks teammate Tony Amonte.

2. The day before he was drafted eighth overall in 1988, Roenick encountered head coach Mike Keenan in a men's room and told Keenan how much he wanted to play for the Hawks.

3. Roenick's lobbying worked. He was drafted by the Hawks in the spot following Martin Gelinas (Kings) and right before Rod Brind'Amour went to the Blues and Teemu Selanne to the Jets.

4. Roenick's original plan was to attend college after high school, but he quickly realized hitting the books wasn't for him and dropped out to be at training camp with the Hawks.

5. Roenick made his Hawks debut on Oct. 6, 1988 against the New York Rangers at Chicago Stadium and appeared in three games before being sent to play junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior League at Hull.

6. He had 34 goals and 36 assists in 28 games at Hull, was recalled by the Hawks on an injury emergency basis and finished the 1988-89 season in Chicago, where he became a regular at age 19.

7. Scored his first NHL goal on Feb. 14, 1989 against the Minnesota North Stars at the Met Center.

8. In a preview of the grittiness to come, Roenick spit several pieces of his teeth into his hand in the 1989 playoffs against St. Louis to show referee Kerry Fraser he had been high-sticked in the mouth. The Hawks got the five-minute power play.

9. Scored 53 goals in 1991-92, joining Bobby Hull and Al Secord as the only Hawks ever to do it. No Hawk has bagged 50 goals since Roenick.

10. His 50th goal was scored appropriately at Boston Garden against the Bruins.

11. Helped lead the Hawks to their last appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1992.

12. After being swept by Pittsburgh in four games for the Cup, Roenick sat in full uniform long after the final horn, dejected and lamenting how he might never get back to the Finals. He never did.

13. Scored 50 goals again in 1992-93 as part of a career-best 107 points.

14. Had a team record 24 power-play goals to go with 5 short-handed goals in 1993-94.

15. Roenick scored the final goal at Chicago Stadium in a regular-season game on April 14, 1994.

16. He was the mouth that roared, maybe the greatest quote in team history whose personality and fearless style on the ice made him one of the most popular Hawks ever.

17. Once chided Colorado goalie Patrick Roy about a goal he scored against him in the playoffs, about Roy's jock bring in the rafters. It led to Roy's now famous reply: "I can't hear what Jeremy says because I've got two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ears."

18. On what would prove to be one of the darkest days in club history - Aug. 16, 1996 - Roenick was traded to Phoenix in exchange for Alexei Zhamnov and Craig Mills because late owner Bill Wirtz was angry with Roenick and his agent for their contract demands.

19. It took the Hawks almost a decade to recover from the poor deals that sent Roenick, Ed Belfour and Chris Chelios out of town over money issues.

20. Finished with 267 goals, 329 assists and 596 points in 524 career games with the Hawks. Roenick ranks seventh all-time in goals and eighth in scoring.

21. Owns or shares 13 club records, including most goals in a season counting playoffs (65 in 1991-92), most game-winning goals (13 in 1991-92) and most playoff overtime goals (3).

22. His 35 career playoff goals for the Hawks rank behind only Bobby Hull (62), Denis Savard (61), Stan Mikita (59) and Steve Larmer (45).

23. Also played for Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Jose but never matched his dynamic seasons with the Hawks.

24. Scored only 14 goals with the Sharks in 2006-07, but in typical Roenick fashion, 10 were game-winners.

25. Became the third American-born player to score 500 goals on Nov. 10, 2007 with the Sharks, joining Joe Mullen and Mike Modano in that elite group.

26. Retired last summer after 20 seasons with 513 goals, 703 assists and 1,363 points. Only Modano has more goals for an American.

27. Started the Web site Roenicklife.com as a way to promote his business ventures, update his fans on his life and comment on what's going on in the NHL.