Theoren Fleury Trying for NHL Comeback?

Theoren Fleury wants to come back to the NHL.  Yes, that Theoren Fleury.  During his heyday, Fleury was a big deal.  He might not have been the biggest guy on the ice (at 5’ 6” and 180lbs) but he made his presence known with his physical style of playing.  After being drafted by the Calgary Flames in 1987, he played more than 1000 NHL games with the Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.  His career had some major highlights – he won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989, scored 1000 points and earned a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.   Unfortunately, Fleury got some bad press as well.

image: TSN

He was in the middle of the Punch-up in Piestany.  In case you don’t know what it is (click on the link), this was a huge brawl that led to the disqualification of both the Canadian and Soviet teams at the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.  Not great but it happens.  I think everyone was ready to move on.

The trouble continued to find him, however, even though some of it wasn’t his fault.  It became clear that he had been battling substance abuse problems since his professional career had begun.  His father got diagnosed with cancer, Fleury got diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and, while it seemed like he had quit drinking and doing drugs for a time, his problems came back around the time he went to the Olympics.  Later in 2002, he was suspended for six months and was placed in the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program for violating his aftercare program.   Sadly, his NHL career was over by 2003 although he played in the British Elite Ice Hockey League in 2005-2006 before entirely retiring from hockey.

Now, it’s been learned that Fleury has sent a letter to NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, asking to be reinstated which would mean that the NHL would have to lift his indefinite suspension after he failed to get his substance abuse issues under control.