Playing with Fire
The Highest Highs and Lowest Lows of Theo Fleury
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Theo Fleury, at 5'6" made a name for himself in a game played by giants. A star in junior hockey, he became an integral part of the Calgary Flames’ Stanley Cup win in 1989. Fleury’s talent was such that despite a growing drug habit and erratic, inexplicable behaviour on and off the ice, Wayne Gretzky believed in him. He became a key member of the gold medal–winning men’s hockey team at the 2002 Olympics.
The Colorado Avalanche picked up Fleury for the playoffs, and when he signed with the New York Rangers, he was a kid in a candy store. After one season of his next multi-million-dollar deal, this time with the Chicago Blackhawks, Fleury suddenly called it quits and wouldn’t explain why.
In Playing with Fire, Theo Fleury takes us behind the bench during his glorious days as an NHL player and talks about growing up devastatingly poor and in chaos at home. Dark personal issues haunted him, with drinking, drugs, gambling and girls ultimately derailing his Hall of Fame–calibre career.
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Author Extras
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Critical Praise for
Playing with Fire
“I’ve known Theo Fleury since back in junior, and I always hated playing against him. Theo was the ultimate competitor. He would do anything to win. That kind of attitude is tough to beat. He was an emotional guy, and when we ended up on the same team in Colorado in 1999, he was still a pest. If I scored, he would come over and pound me on the back or jump up and hug me and get on me for not celebrating enough. I am really glad Theo has come out on top.”
— Joe Sakic, Captain, Colorado Avalanche
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"If you had ever played the game in his era, you'd have been circled by Theoren Fleury. I've seen his lionhearted efforts win Stanley Cups and Olympic Gold. And there is a difference. In twenty-five years of broadcasting NHL playoffs, I still point to the 1991 battle of Alberta as the most ruthless test ever. And within that violent, intimidating vortex, Fleury swerved and darted and engineered goals that are replayed to this day. The Olympic stage is best on best. In Salt Lake City, Theoren was at it again. Distorting the natural path on skates, free to act, going around defenders as if guided by GPS. All they could do was marvel. Theoren Fleury was a brilliant hockey player. He excelled in a team game. He understood roles. He was welcoming. He was fair. But what makes him such a fascination is that he stuck to his game outside the rink. His team was not marked by a uniform. Theoren went around everyone. And if you'd ever felt the warm embrace of his way, you'd know he wanted you in the game. What was his was yours. So as you enter the ever-expanding circle of Theoren's life, look for the secret. The freedom to be. The courage to act. It's Fleury's life, but it's a circle of you."
— Ron MacLean, Hockey Night in Canada
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“As a young player in the League, I was lucky to have a captain like Theoren Fleury. I’ve never played with a more tenacious and determined player. The way he competed, night in and night out, set the standard for the rest of us to try and match; he gave everything he had every game. I appreciated what he brought to our team then and I appreciate his support now.”
— Jarome Iginla, Captain, Calgary Flames—
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