VANCOUVER, British Columbia ? It was a heck of a year for Aaron Rome with the Vancouver Canucks last season ? the Cyclone Trophy as team MVP, the Cyrus H. McLean Trophy as leading scorer, the Walter ?Babe? Pratt Trophy as outstanding defenseman, the Fred J. Hume Trophy as Unsung Hero. He even pulled in the fan vote for Most Exciting Player.
Well, only if you believed the hastily scribbled tape that was placed over the real names on the Canucks? Honor Wall at Rogers Arena on Friday morning.
With Rome returning with the Stars to play against his old team for the first time, a couple of his former teammates took the opportunity to play a trick on Rome and handed him every major team award for just one day.
?He always used to be out there playing soccer with us before games, and he would look at that wall and say, ?Someday, my name is going to be up there,?? said Canucks winger Alex Burrows with a devilish grin. ?Well, today is that day.?
Rome could only issue his own smile. ?They?re funny guys over there,? he said with a sigh.
Rome played three seasons with the Canucks before signing a free-agent contract with the Stars in the summer. With Vancouver overloaded with defensemen and needing to make room for youngster Chris Tanev, Rome had to be let go, but it?s clear that he made a pretty good impression here.
?He?s a good character guy, a good prairie dog, a hard-nosed guy who grew up on the farm, and a great teammate,? Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. ?Obviously, when you see his name splattered all over the awards here, you know that he was well-liked here. He gives us some character, and some toughness and veteran stability on the back end. There?s a lot to like about him.?
And that?s a nice little message for Stars fans, who have yet to really get to know Rome. The 29-year-old defenseman is inked for three seasons at $1.5 million a year, so he has the chance to be a big part of what the Stars are building.
?He?s a hard worker, he?s a great team guy, he?s a guy who can give you a lot of physical play,? Burrows said. ?I know we miss him here, but I think we?re all excited for him to get a chance to take a bigger bite and maybe get more ice time over there.?
Rome was a depth player for the Canucks, but he?s been consistently on the second pair with the Stars. He entered Friday?s game averaging 18:05 in ice time and is starting to show his form after missing the first few games of the season with a groin injury.
?You just feel good getting in the lineup every game and finding a rhythm,? said Rome, who has been partnered with Trevor Daley. ?I think you get some chemistry going, you get to feel maybe a little comfortable out there, and that?s when you can play your best game.?
At 6-1, 218, Rome is one of the Stars? bigger defensemen. The native of Nesbitt, Manitoba, also brings a physical style that was honed in the Western Hockey League with teams such as Saskatoon and Swift Current. Even after being drafted in the fourth round by Los Angeles in 2002, he had to work his way up through the minors ? recording four seasons of 100 penalty minutes or more in the AHL.
He settled into a simpler role with the Canucks and helped them to the Stanley Cup finals two seasons ago ? and the Stars are hoping he will have a similar role as they try to push forward with a young roster.
?He?s a leader, a good soldier,? Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk said. ?He?s a guy who we think can help our young defensemen get even better.?
Because the guy already has a room full of trophies to show what he?s done.
Actually, ?I don?t have the trophies yet,? Rome joked. ?I think they?re still engraving them.?
Yeah, but for one day, Sharpie on athletic tape feels pretty good.
?There were good times here,? Rome said. ?I?m hoping to make new ones, though ? ?
With the Stars.
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