May 24--Emerson Etem didn't row, row, row a boat gently down a stream.
Instead, the Ducks left wing rolled, rolled, rolled his butt fiercely down the street delivering newspapers on roller blades to save up money for hockey equipment.
And life has been but an NHL dream since for Etem, whose mother, Patricia, was a U.S. Olympic rower at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. His father, Richard, rowed for Navy and his older brother and older sister also are elite rowers.
"I've never even rowed a boat," he said Saturday before the Ducks met the Blackhawks in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals at the United Center. "It's just not my thing. It's a grueling sport. To me, it might be a little boring, going back and forth like that."
Etem said he learned to roller skate when he was 3 at a rink down the street from his family's Long Beach, Calif., home. He graduated to ice skates when he was 6.
That eventually led him to Anaheim as the Ducks selected Etem 29th overall in the 2010 draft. He cheered for the Kings as a kid but was intrigued most by Canucks star Pavel Bure.
Etem said he hasn't thought much about being one of the few African-American players in the NHL. His mother is black and his father is white.
"Just like any other kid growing up, you get hooked on it pretty quick," Etem said. "I didn't want to do anything else as far as having a 9-to-5 job. Just make my money playing hockey. It's a fun life and I'm glad it all worked out."
Tucked behind Etem's right ear is a tattoo with the letters "L" and "B" interlocked, paying homage to the home he left when he was 14 to attend Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Minnesota.
The 22-year-old is one of six Long Beach natives to play in the NHL and is third among them with 112 career games played, according to hockey-reference.com.
"Where I'm at now has a lot to do with where I'm from," Etem said. "My boys that support me from back home, my family -- Long Beach is so much a part of me I just felt (the tattoo) was necessary."
Emerson had five goals and five assists during the regular season and has two goals this postseason. The fourth-liner was a healthy scratch for two games in the second round against the Flames, which he said opened his eyes.
He scored his first goal against the Sharks and former Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi on March 18, 2013.
Now he spends most of his time playing alongside Jiri Sekac and Rickard Rakell for the Western Conference's top seed.
"He just belongs in hockey," Sekac said. "He's different. He's a funny guy. It's good to play with him. He kind of thinks the same way as me and Rakell do. I really enjoy spending time with him."
pskrbina@tribpub.com
