Theoren Fleury
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Theoren Wallace Fleury (b. June 29, 1968 in Oxbow, Ontario, Canada) is a professional ice hockey player. He plays right wing.
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Theoren Fleury
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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 despite his relatively small size, 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 team's all-time leading scorer with 830 points - 364 goals and 466 assists.
He scored 40 goals in the 1998-99 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 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 (whose hatred of him stemmed from his days with the rival Rangers), who dubbed him "Crackhead Theo."
He began the 2002-03 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.
Fleury's future is in doubt. Some are calling for him to retire, and there are also rumours he might return to play for the Flames - indeed, he has been quoted as saying the Calgary Flames are the only team he wants to play for. Regardless, his place in hockey history is secure and he will be recognized 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 on 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.
Awards
- 1991 Alka-Seltzer Plus Award (shared)
- Played in 7 NHL All-Star Games - 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001
- 50th in goals on NHL all-time rankings
- 57th in assists on NHL all-time rankings
- 52nd in points on NHL all-time rankings
Records
- Calgary Flames franchise record for points scored (830)
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1988-89 | Calgary | NHL | 36 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 46 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 24 | ||
| 1989-90 | Calgary | NHL | 80 | 31 | 35 | 66 | 157 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | ||
| 1990-91 | Calgary | NHL | 79 | 51 | 53 | 104 | 136 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | ||
| 1991-92 | Calgary | NHL | 80 | 33 | 40 | 73 | 133 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1992-93 | Calgary | NHL | 83 | 34 | 66 | 100 | 88 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 27 | ||
| 1993-94 | Calgary | NHL | 83 | 40 | 45 | 85 | 186 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 5 | ||
| 1994-95 | Calgary | NHL | 47 | 29 | 29 | 58 | 112 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 2 | ||
| 1995-96 | Calgary | NHL | 80 | 46 | 50 | 96 | 112 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1996-97 | Calgary | NHL | 81 | 29 | 38 | 67 | 104 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997-98 | Calgary | NHL | 82 | 27 | 51 | 78 | 197 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998-99 | Calgary | NHL | 60 | 30 | 39 | 69 | 68 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998-99 | Colorado | NHL | 15 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 18 | 18 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 20 | ||
| 1999-00 | NY Rangers | NHL | 80 | 15 | 49 | 64 | 68 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000-01 | NY Rangers | NHL | 62 | 30 | 44 | 74 | 122 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | NY Rangers | NHL | 82 | 24 | 39 | 63 | 216 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002-03 | Chicago | NHL | 54 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 77 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL Totals | 1084 | 455 | 633 | 1088 | 1840 | 77 | 34 | 45 | 79 | 116 | ||||
International play
- 1991 Silver medal for Canada at World Championships.
- 1991 Won Canada Cup with Canada.
- 1996 Played for Canada at World Cup of Hockey.
- 1998 Played for Canada at 1998 Winter Olympics.
- 2002 Gold medal for Canada at 2002 Winter Olympics.
External links
- Statistics from Internet Hockey Database (http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?encode=TRUE&pid=1712)