Roenick creates 'special day' for loyal fan during Hall of Fame weekend

TORONTO -- When Jeremy Roenick was 7, the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association practiced at his local rink before one of his games. He was watching with his teammates when Gordie Howe dumped snow on his head, tussled his hair and winked at him.

"For him, it was nothing," he said. "He was just having fun. For me, it was a moment. Gordie Howe dumped snow on my head and not anybody else's. It was me and Gordie Howe for, like, 30 seconds, and it just hit me so hard.

"I'm 54 years old, and I still love telling the story, because I learned that you can change somebody's life. You can give somebody a really cool story or something that they can really feel good about with 30 seconds, not even a minute of your time. You're not even thinking about it, but it does affect somebody else.

"I try to do every day what Gordie Howe did to me when I was there, just make sure somebody has a special day."

Roenick told that story Saturday at the Inductee Fan Forum, an annual event at the Hockey Hall of Fame's Induction Weekend in which fans ask questions directly to the inductees.

And he did it after he gave one of his biggest fans 30 seconds right there on stage in the Great Hall.

While Roenick was playing for the Phoenix Coyotes -- sometime from 1996-2001 or during the 2006-07 season -- he received a message from Pegi Tapaninen of Lahti, Finland. Tapaninen had been following Roenick since he played for the Chicago Blackhawks from 1988-96 and wanted to meet him.

Not only did Roenick invite him to meet him, but he stayed in touch with him and met him at least two more times.

While Tapaninen was battling cancer in 2007, he received an email from Roenick.

"It was just an outstanding feeling," Tapaninen said. "JR is contacting me, asking how I'm doing, how I'm feeling."

Tapaninen said he has a small man cave at home with Roenick memorabilia, including a trophy that Roenick received for his 1,200th NHL point. Roenick gave it to him.

Years ago, Tapaninen told Roenick that he wanted to be part of the celebration when Roenick made the Hall of Fame. He was in the audience Saturday at the Inductee Fan Forum.

At one point, someone asked the inductees what they missed most when they stopped playing in the NHL.

Roenick said he loved stepping on the ice and seeing thousands of fans in the stands, knowing they had paid a lot of money and took time from their families -- or brought their families -- to be entertained. He called it "such an intimate feeling."

"I took it very seriously every time I stepped on the ice," he said. "That's one of the reasons why I gave it my all, played the way that I did, because I wanted them to leave satisfied at the 2 1/2 hours that they were in there.

"And I miss that relationship and that ability to entertain and to put smiles on people's faces -- or sometimes frowns -- wherever I was. Whether you cheered me or booed me, it was always a very important part of being a professional athlete."

At another point, someone asked the inductees to name their favorite fan experiences.

"I've had so many different fan experiences that it's been amazing, but I'm going to use one specifically right here today, because it's happened today," he said.

Roenick called Tapaninen up on stage, calling him a "loyal friend and fan."

Tapaninen stood next to Roenick and the other player inductees -- Natalie Darwitz, Pavel Datsyuk, Shea Weber and Krissy Wendell -- and the Stanley Cup.

"This gentleman right here is one of the reasons why I love this game, because no matter where you're from or who your favorite team is or whatever, you reach the world," Roenick said.

For Roenick, it was nothing. For Tapaninen, it was a moment.

Tapaninen took a microphone and thanked Roenick.

"It's been amazing," he said. "I'm speechless."

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger contributed to this report