Theoren Fleury
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Theoren Wallace Fleury (born June 29, 1968 in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a professional ice hockey player in the British Elite Ice Hockey League who had a very successful but troubled career in the National Hockey League. He plays right wing.
Playing career
Fleury is the story of a stellar career dogged by alcoholism and off-ice issues.Acknowledged as one of the stars of the game, he was drafted by the Calgary Flames 166th overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft and won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989. By the time he left the Flames in 1999 for the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Rene Corbet, Wade Belak and Robyn Regehr he was the last remaining Flame on the roster of their 1989 Stanley Cup winning team.
He scored 2 goals with Colorado in the remaining games of the 1998-99 NHL season before signing with the New York Rangers as a free agent on July 5, 1999. He won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics, and signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2002-03 NHL season.
However, by this time, wrestling with off-ice worries, including his father's cancer operation, his substance abuse problems had began to surface. In 1996, he was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. Although seemingly under control for half a year by the time he won Olympic gold, he suffered a relapse and in October 2002 he was suspended for six months and placed in the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program for violating his aftercare program. His drug problems have been a source of great taunting from opposing fans, primarily those of the New York Islanders.
He began the 2002-03 NHL season serving out the 25-game suspension. Soon after his return, however, he missed a practice, claiming he had overslept, and in January, he was involved in an incident at a strip club in Columbus, Ohio. He was suspended in 2003 for again violating the substance abuse program. Regardless, his place in hockey history is secure and he will be recognised as one of the best players of the game.
In an attempt to restore his career, Fleury attempted to join the North Peace Hockey League's Horse Lake Thunder, which is based in the Horse Lake First Nations, Alberta. His first game was to be on January 6, 2005, but he was ruled ineligible because he was under an NHL contract during the previous season. After two appeals, Fleury and the Thunder were able to overturn the decision. In Fleury's first game with the Thunder, on January 22, 2005, he scored one goal and two assists. Fleury's cousin, as well as former NHLer, Gino Odjick also plays for the Thunder. The team competes for the Allan Cup.
Fleury signed for the 2005-06 season with the Belfast Giants of the British Elite Ice Hockey League, and made a stellar debut on October 15, 2005 scoring a hat-trick and gaining 4 assists which led to him being named man of the match. Although he helped the Giants to the league championship, he was involved in several incidents including one game in which he attempted to climb out of the penalty box in order to reach a Coventry Blaze fan who had been taunting him the entire game, and reportedly threatened match officials [link]. Fleury later said he would not return to the league for the next season, citing the poor standard of officiating in the EIHL.
In his time with the Belfast Giants Fleury was awarded the 2006 Kingdom of the Giants Most Valuable Player, voted for and awarded by the fans through the [Kingdom of the Giants fan community website]. He was also voted the Elite League Player of the year by the [British Ice Hockey Writers Association.]
Awards
- Alka-Seltzer Plus Award - 1991 (shared)
- Played in 7 NHL All-Star Games - 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001
- British Ice Hockey Writers Elite League Player of the Season 2005-06
Records
- Calgary Flames franchise record for points scored (830)
- NHL record 3 short-handed goals in one game
- 50th in goals on NHL all-time rankings
- 57th in assists on NHL all-time rankings
- 52nd in points on NHL all-time rankings
- NHL record highest plus/minus rating in one game, plus-9
Career statistics
As of 29 March 2006
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1984-85 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 71 | 29 | 46 | 75 | 82 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1985-86 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 72 | 43 | 65 | 108 | 124 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 16 | ||
| 1986-87 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 66 | 61 | 68 | 129 | 110 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 34 | ||
| 1987-88 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 65 | 68 | 92 | 160 | 235 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1987-88 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 16 | ||
| 1988-89 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 40 | 37 | 37 | 74 | 81 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1988-89 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 36 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 46 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 24 | ||
| 1989-90 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 80 | 31 | 35 | 66 | 157 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | ||
| 1990-91 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 79 | 51 | 53 | 104 | 136 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | ||
| 1991-92 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 80 | 33 | 40 | 73 | 133 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1992-93 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 83 | 34 | 66 | 100 | 88 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 27 | ||
| 1993-94 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 83 | 40 | 45 | 85 | 186 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 5 | ||
| 1994-95 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 47 | 29 | 29 | 58 | 112 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 2 | ||
| 1994-95 | Tappara | SM-l | 10 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1995-96 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 80 | 46 | 50 | 96 | 112 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1996-97 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 81 | 29 | 38 | 67 | 104 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997-98 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 82 | 27 | 51 | 78 | 197 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998-99 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 60 | 30 | 39 | 69 | 68 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998-99 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 15 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 18 | 18 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 20 | ||
| 1999-00 | New York Rangers | NHL | 80 | 15 | 49 | 64 | 68 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000-01 | New York Rangers | NHL | 62 | 30 | 44 | 74 | 122 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 24 | 39 | 63 | 216 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002-03 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 54 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 77 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2004-05 | Horse Lake Thunder | NPHL | 7 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 28 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2005-06 | Belfast Giants | EIHL | 41 | 24 | 60 | 84 | 296 | |||||||
| NHL Totals | 1084 | 455 | 633 | 1088 | 1840 | 77 | 34 | 45 | 79 | 116 | ||||
International play
Played for Canada in:
- 1988 World Junior Hockey Championships - Team Captain (gold medal)
- 1991 World Championships (silver medal)
- 1991 Canada Cup (gold medal)
- 1996 World Cup of Hockey
- 1998 Winter Olympics
- 2002 Winter Olympics (gold medal)
See also
External links
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