Jeremy Roenick exposes Leafs coach Craig Berube for seeking revenge on him for five years

Former NHLer Jeremy Roenick admits he once sucker-punched Leafs head coach Craig Berube, who then sought to get his revenge on him for five long years.

Hockey legend Jeremy Roenick recently told the 'Leafs Morning Take' podcast a story of rivalry, revenge, and resolve. He revealed a very powerful, many-year grudge he had with another tough-as-nails player, Craig Berube. The fire started in one of the most heated games that Roenick's team ever played against Berube's team, where tempers reached their boiling point and led to a full-blown on-ice brawl. The referees finally yanked Roenick out of the scrap amidst all that mayhem, but Berube was still caught up in it all. In that fashion, that moment of advantage presented Roenick with the opportunity to do what came instinctively: he connected a sucker punch on a helpless Berube.

There was no immediate, violent eruption. Instead, cold patience spoke volumes of how his revenge was well worth waiting for. This was a chilling response that set up a multi-season pursuit. Each time these two went head-to-head, Berube seemed to let him know that the next time they would dance. According to Roenick, he would call for line changes any time the two were even remotely close, just to let him know he was coming for him.

It became almost a trademark of their interactions, a silent pact between them. Roenick says he could skate away from Berube loads of times, knowing that the reckoning would come. Every game, Berube's steady laser-beam attention reminded him of unfinished business. Roenick would find ways of avoiding him, stretching it out over years, but he knew Berube was just buying his time until the right moment.

The simmering feud finally boiled over five years later during the 2003-04 season when both players were with the Philadelphia Flyers organization, Roenick a member of the NHL squad and Berube holding a player-coach role with the Flyers AHL affiliate. Berube caught sight of Roenick during a combined practice session and he knew his opportunity had finally arrived. He then walked casually towards Roenick as if being friendly, placing a hand on his shoulder while finally delivering the long-awaited punch to Roenick's mouth.

To hockey fans, the story is an unforgettable testament to the tenacity and unwillingness to back down that has been such a part of the sport. Craig Berube's patience and want to square things up entered into the lore of hockey, where grit and resolve are two terms commonly used to describe the game and its participants. In that final punch, Berube's perseverance became frozen in time, amounting to the essence of the game of ice hockey-to some, unforgiving yet honorable.

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