“Playing With Fire” A Review

November 6, 2009   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

So, I finally finished reading Theo Fleury’s book, “Playing With Fire” with Kirstie McLellan Day. The foreword was written by the one and only Wayne Gretzky, which kinda tells you all you need to know about Fleury.

As we already knew, he was a total mess due to the sexual abuse suffered at the hands of monster Graham James. The difference between Theo and Sheldon Kennedy, who came out was that Kennedy wasn’t afraid to go public. Something Fleury always struggled with. Naturally, it caused incredible pain and stress for the smallish player with the big sized heart the rest of his playing career.

Predictably, he dealt with it by drinking and getting addicted to cocaine. As someone who battles anxiety daily, I think it’s obvious what happened to one of the greatest Calgary Flames ever. Somehow, despite a wild lifestyle, he persevered to become the franchise scoring leader until Jarome Iginla surpassed him last season. A player he knew would be great.

It’s amazing to think that despite many off ice issues, Fleury went onto an All-Star career that included helping the Flames win their only Stanley Cup as a 20 year-old wide eyed rookie. The kid who wasn’t taken until the eighth round (166th overall) in 1987 went onto become one of the best big little guys in the sport by playing an in your face style that personified his character. He would score 455 goals and 633 assists totaling 1,088 points while racking 1,840 penalty minutes over 1,084 career games over a topsy turvy 16-year NHL career.

While it’s sadly remembered for how it concluded with the Blackhawks following a disastrous three-year Ranger stint, it’s easy to forget just how immensely skilled the mini-scule 5-6, 180-pound kid from Saskatchewan was. This is a man who beat the odds throughout his career, representing Team Canada nine times, including helping them finally win Olympic Gold at Salt Lake in 2002. Even when things were against him, one man who he always admired treated him well. The Great One. It’s no surprise that Fleury has plenty of nice things to say about arguably the greatest player the sport’s ever seen, who also just happened to be one of the classiest which is why it’s sad how he’s been treated by the NHL throughout the whole Coyote sale.

Anyway, I want to personally thank Motherpucker hockey for sending me the book via Amazon.com after we took part and won a contest over on Twitter. It was an utter joy to read and made me truly understand how tough Theoren Fleury’s life really is. Sometimes, we only see what we read or hear and misjudge people. But unless you’re in their shoes, it’s impossible to know what they’re really like.

This doesn’t condone what Fleury did on and off the ice. To his credit, he admitted to being embarrassed at different times and doesn’t want anyone’s sympathy. I believe everybody has their own battles everyday. There’s no such thing as being perfect. At the end of the day, we’re all human beings who are mistake prone. I’ve had my share and always try to learn from them and make myself better moving forward. Well, that’s what Theo has done. He finally seems at peace. Something we all strive for.

If you want to read about who the person really is, there’s a lot more to Fleury than meets the eye. Playing With Fire is an entertaining read that grabs you from beginning to end. In fact, I stayed up late last night and finished it just before, reading half of it in a day span. It details his tough childhood which came before James’ sexual abuse and is chalk full of stories that any pucker can truly appreciate.

Without a doubt, we highly recommend it!