Dan Falloon
Theoren Fleury knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity.
While the former NHL’er had a number of memorable on-ice moments throughout his 15-year career, there were several lows that began early on as a youngster growing up in Russell, Man.
The 41-year-old won a Stanley Cup in his rookie season with the Calgary Flames in 1989 and then an Olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City in 2002.
But when Fleury didn’t have his skates strapped on, he struggled with alcohol and drug abuse that led him to be suspended from the game he loved in 2003.
It’s issues like these that he addresses in his talk “Don’t Quit Before the Miracle,” which was presented to Rainy River District students at Fort High yesterday and today.
He’ll give the speech to students at Atikokan High School tomorrow (March 11).
Fleury’s visit primarily is sponsored by the Rainy River District School Board and the Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre.
“I think people will see a different side of Theo Fleury that they’ve never seen before,” Fleury remarked.
“This is not the same Theo Fleury who was on the ice,” he stressed. “This is somebody who’s gone through some pretty amazing experiences in his life, and that’s what I talk about.”
Standing just 5’6”, Fleury was one of the smallest players of his era—and said he was told his stature would keep him from making it to the big-time.
But he persevered and became the 61st player in NHL history to record 1,000 points on Oct. 29, 2001 while a member of the N.Y. Rangers.
“Basically, I was told, from a very young age, that there was absolutely zero chance of me ever playing one game in the National Hockey League and I played over 1,000,” recalled Fleury.
“The only person who ever believed that was me.
“I talk about what it’s like to have people not believe in you, what it’s like to face adversity and how you get through adversity, and what’s really important in life,” he added.
Fleury is a reminder that any goal starts with the person looking to achieve, not any outside sources.
“You have to believe in yourself first before anyone else will jump on board,” he stressed.
Fleury said he tries to do is show students how to bridge the gap from doubt to belief, encouraging them to reach out and grasp at their goals the same way that he did.
“What I try to do is just try to motivate people,” he explained. “I just try to give them that little extra push to follow their dreams and goals, and whatever they have planned for the rest of their lives. . . .
“Whether you want to be the best chef in the world, or the best dressmaker, or a musician, or you want to be an athlete, whatever it is.”
Playing hockey took Fleury all over the world, including to Northern Ireland, Japan, and Slovakia. His speech emphasizes there is a world beyond Borderland—a message he feels is especially pertinent in a small-town setting.
“Some people get that small-town syndrome,” he noted. “I think for me, from an early age, I figured out that the world was bigger than Russell, Man. and I just wanted to, as best as I could, I wanted to see the world.
“And because of it, it’s changed my life, it’s changed who I am as a person.
“I talk about travel, how travel is important to get to other places and see other things and experience life differently,” he said.
It was in his current home of Calgary, though, that Fleury first suited up in the NHL. Fleury took to the Saddledome ice for the first time on Jan. 3, 1989 against the Quebec Nordiques, overcoming the doubters.
“However you would feel, that’s exactly how I would feel,” Fleury remarked. “The sense of accomplishment, a sense of all that hard work that I’d put in finally paid off.
“What a huge thrill. To play in front of 20,000 people, that’s really quite a rush,” he enthused.
More than 20 years after pulling on a Flames’ jersey for the first time, a clean and sober Fleury faced another uphill battle trying to earn the right to wear it once again.
Fleury made a push for reinstatement into the NHL last September, which was granted by commissioner Gary Bettman.
Seeing his first NHL action in six years, Fleury registered four points in four pre-season games in his comeback attempt with the Flames, but the team released him before the regular season began.
In the years he was suspended by the NHL, Fleury wasn’t out of the public consciousness despite being out of the league. He started a concrete business, hit a pinch-hit single for the Golden Baseball League’s Calgary Vipers, and challenged for the 2005 and 2009 Allan Cups with the Horse Lake Thunder and Steinbach North Stars, respectively.
However, Fleury noted that in this time he addressed his past demons and prepared to share his story with the world, in the forms of his book “Playing with Fire” as well as “Don’t Quit Before the Miracle.”
“How this whole thing started was I sat down three years ago and I wrote a book, and basically told the truth for the very first time in my life and let people in on my life,” he recalled.
“We sold 125,000 copies of this book, and I think that people have really connected to the honesty.
“And they love the stories, and that’s basically what I bring when I speak,” he added.
“So instead of having to read the book, they get the live version of it,” Fleury concluded.
Fleury also is scheduled to present “Don’t Quit Before the Miracle” to the general public tonight (March 10) at the Townshend Theatre at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets, which are free, are available from Shauna-Leigh Carlson of the Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre (274-3131) and Brent Tookenay of the RRDSB (274-9857).
