Jeremy Roenick is a staple to the Chicago Blackhawks organization. Although his skill is known around the world, his off ice issues are too. Little does everyone know he had a daughter who stayed quiet up until 2009 when Jeremy retired and returned...
Before Rachel and I ascend to Canada for a while we decide to go check out the NHL awards. Being the captain of the team that won the Stanley Cup I get to go to Vegas and hang out with some of the best players this season. See who wins MVP and the Norris and Vezina, all that good stuff. It was just adding to this amazing year of my life where I got to go on these adventures with my best friend and make some precious memories.
I pull on the finest tux I have and try to do something with my hair. And when I ultimately fail in doing so I call Rachel in to help me.
"Hey babe" I yell into the hotel.
"Yeah" she yells back.
"Come help me please" I beg.
I hear heels coming down the hallway and I smile to myself. The door from the bedroom opens and I wasn't prepared for what came next.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
As soon as I can look her over I look again just because she looked too good to be true. The smile on my face was as big as ever as I look at her in all her beauty. She was always a sight to behold, but I've never seen her this dressed up before. Her hair looked fake and her makeup was on point. She looked like a model and I'm sure she noticed once she looked at my face.
"Wow" I gasp as she walks over to me.
"Please tell me you called to ask me to help with your hair" she begs and I laugh.
"I did, but I don't think there's anything I can do to my hair to look worthy to be standing next to you" I claim.
"Awww you're so full of crap" she accuses as she cups my cheeks and I put my hands over them.
"I am not! You look stunning right now. Why don't you believe me" I pout.
"Because it's you" she smirks.
"And that's why you should believe me. You trust me right" I ask.
"Of course" she says as she pulls me closer.
"Then believe me when I say that you are the most beautiful sight on this entire earth. And I can't wait to show up on that red carpet with you on my arm and when someone asks how I got so lucky to be here with you, I can tell them I don't know how. I'll tell them I don't know why god was good enough to send me a angel but I'll make sure they know I thank him every day that he did.
I don't know if I'll ever get you to see what I see. Just simple beauty and pure happiness. And I wish like hell I could show you, but I guess I'm okay with spending my whole life trying" I claim.
She presses she lips to mine as I inhale deeply. Her fingers get tangled in my hair as I press her into my chest.
"Now I don't want to leave" I mumble.
"Oh no. It took me 2 hours to get ready. We're going" she demands.
So she fixes my hair and we were on our way. We arrive at the red carpet and take pictures for whoever asked for them. At the end of the carpet we stop for interviews and usually the guys do them by themselves. But I wouldn't let Rachel leave my side as I hold her close.
"I see you brought your girlfriend with you" the interviewer says.
"Yeah. I might be the hockey player here but I've hardly gotten a look tonight with her by my side" I tease.
She nudges me in the side making me chuckle. "You're Jeremy Roenicks daughter, right" the woman asks.
"That's me" she smiles.
"I know you've had a pretty crazy year then you end up here watching your boyfriend do what your dad wanted to do his whole career. How crazy has it been to watch Jonathan do what he has" they ask her.
She turns to me and smiles really big. "It's been really amazing. After losing my mom last year and not knowing if my dad would want me back in my life I was in a dark place. I've lived my life in the shadows for so long I forgot what the light looked light, to be the one casting the shadow for once instead of being the one in it.
But I met Jon when he was out with a concussion and the team was a while away from winning the cup. He wasn't the captain of the best team in the world, he had no cup and he had no MVP. From the first moment we spent together he was genuinely him and never hid who he was from me. To me he was always this passionate and loving man everyone got to see in the playoffs. To me he won way before that night in Philadelphia" she explains.
"Has life changed much since he won" they ask her as she laughs.
"Absolutely. Our dates get a little shorter once people recognize him. People are starting to recognize me too which is a weird concept. But the city of Chicago is like family to us. They treat us greatly, people buy him food and beer and take care of us. We haven't had any bad experiences. I guess in a city like Chicago where there is so many sports teams it's pretty evenly distributed. But I've enjoyed watching the city give its appreciation to the Hawks and to Jonny of course. Not too long ago he was in the olympics beating their precious team USA in the gold medal game and people were wearing his jersey even though they rooted for team USA. It's crazy what winning a championship does to a city and the people in it" she says.
"Well we're happy for you guys and if I had a vote for best looking couple it would be you guys" she says and I smile.
I would have to agree.
Once that's done we go inside. Duncan was here because he was probably going to win the Norris and I was here on behalf of my team. I couldn't wait to look out and see just how far I've come since I was out in the crowd when I was up for rookie of the year. And the best part was I got to be up there as the man I always dreamed I would be.
"Surreal, isn't it" Rachel asks as we get to our seats. I let out a long sigh as I shake my head.
"I didn't think I would get here this quickly. I'm 22 years old and I've done so much in my life. And the best part is I'm just getting started" I smile.
"You're going to go far Jonny. People don't know it yet but you will go far" she promises.
