[bigboydan]

Kings center Jeremy Roenick out four to six weeks with broken finger

December 20, 2005

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) -- Los Angeles Kings center Jeremy Roenick will be out four to six weeks with a broken finger, an injury he found out about a day after not being selected to the U.S. Olympic hockey team.

"I found out this morning," Roenick told The Canadian Press on Tuesday. "I have to go back (to Los Angeles) for surgery."


Roenick broke the finger during Monday night's 4-3 shootout win over Vancouver. He had a goal and an assist in the victory.

"Just when I was starting to get into a groove and getting things in the right place, this happens," Roenick said. "But, oh well, what are you going to do?"

The dejected tone was in stark contrast to his angry comments Monday night when he discussed not being picked for the American roster for the Turin Olympics, saying he was left off the team "because (USA Hockey has) been blackballing me since September."

The 36-year-old called the decision to leave him off the team "disrespectful."

"I think they were holding the fact I haven't played in the last two World Cups against me. I'm a lot better player than my points indicate," said Roenick, who has six goals and seven assists in 32 games this season. "I'm one of the guys that have (got) the USA to where it is today."

Roenick was on the American team that finished second to Canada at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, and was also on the 1998 team that finished out of the medal race in Nagano, Japan. He has 1,133 points in 1,156 career NHL regular-season games.

"To not have the opportunity to go back one more time and try and win the gold is obviously, in my opinion, very disrespectful," Roenick said. "They can beat me down and say I'm over the hill or say that I don't have it anymore, but to me I know that I do."

[Illusion]

What a puss, it's just a finger.