Theoren Fleury: Hailed as a Setanta-Like Hero in Belfast
“My biggest concern is how I live my life.
I used to worry about what other people thought about me.
It’s not like that anymore.”
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THEOREN FLEURY on the ice at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.
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Theoren (Theo) Wallace Fleury, born on June 29, 1968 in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, is a professional hockey player in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. He plays right wing.
He has also had a very successful but troubled career in the National Hockey League. His stellar career in North America was dogged by alcoholism, substance abuse, off-ice issues and Crohn’s disease.
Theo also has a very impressive amount of awards and records – playing in a total of seven NHL All-Star Games; winning the Stanley Cup in 1989 with the Calgary Flames; being a standout at the 1998 Nagano Olympics; winning a Gold Medal with Team Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics; along with records that are unbroken to this day.
Fleury often provided sports writers with lots of juicy copy, but one thing that could never be denied, was his dogged determination to win. Theo is a changed man today. He has been sober for quite awhile, his life has improved, and he’s feeling good about himself. But the one thing that hasn’t changed, is his determination to win.
I recently spoke with Theoren Fleury upon his return to Calgary from Belfast, where he played with the Belfast Giants. Fleury is hailed as a hero in Belfast, a Setanta (a legendary Irish folk hero who possessed extraordinary strength and power and excelled in sports).
In his time with the Belfast Giants, Fleury was awarded the 2006 Kingdom of the Giants Most Valuable Player voted for and awarded by the fans throughout the Kingdom of the Giants fan community website. He was also voted the Elite League Player of the year by the British Ice Hockey Writers Association. The Belfast Giants were winners of the league in British ice hockey.
Theoren Fleury is like the tip of an iceberg – there’s a book underneath the surface...and it would be a winner!
INTERVIEW
BY CATHOLINE BUTLER
C.B. According to Belfast Giants owner, Jim Yaworski, it was largely due to your skill and experience that the Giants won the League Championship and Cup. What was your experience like playing hockey in Belfast?
T.F. Well going into it I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. But I’ve had a couple of weeks to look back on it and I think it was a great experience. Belfast is a great city with tremendous fans and it was a lot of fun to play at the Odyssey every night.
The experience of playing on the road is a little bit different from what I was used to, but the reason I went there was to win. We didn’t win the playoffs but we won the League and before I went to Belfast, I was told that was the most important thing to win anyway.
They were a great group of guys that I played with who really cared about each other and cared about winning, and fortunately for us, that is the type of formula that helped us win.
C.B. How different is it playing in Belfast than say playing in the NHL?
T.F. Well obviously there are a lot of differences, but hockey is hockey no matter where it is. The same type of guys, same type of fans. What I found is that they are very passionate about hockey in the UK.
There’s a smaller fan base but they are just as passionate as say Calgary Flames fans, Vancouver Canucks fans or Edmonton Oilers fans. They have that passion for the game and they love and respect it. And it was nice to be able to go over there and provide something that maybe they haven’t seen and that was the skill level that I brought.
C.B. What were some of your favourite foods in Ireland?
T.F. I liked how they had so many fresh vegetables and stuff. There’s a store there called Marks and Spencers and it’s a pretty good store to go to. I call it “Cooking for Dummies.”
C.B. Will you be playing for the Belfast Giants in the 2006/2007 season?
T.F. At this point, we haven’t really made a decision about what’s going to happen in the future. I will play somewhere, I don’t know where, but somewhere.
C.B. This will be the thirteenth season that you will be running your hockey school in Russell, Manitoba. Can you tell me about the school and why you are so committed?
T.F. Well, obviously, when you come from a small community in Manitoba, you don’t get an opportunity to hang out with NHL players very often, and I can see that I’ve been blessed to come from that community. I don’t make any money. All the money we do make goes directly back to minor hockey.
The hockey school is sold out every year and runs for one week. We can only put 160 kids in the school, that’s all that’s allowed. It’s a lot of work but it’s something that’s a lot of fun, and like I said it goes to a good cause and it’s been good that way.
C.B. Do you think maybe the school has inspired some of the kids to want to go on to the NHL?
T.F. Well, I think it’s every kid’s dream in Canada, when they lace up a pair of skates, to some day want to play in the NHL. I think having me around would inspire that in them and I would be very supportive of them, if that’s the path that they want to take. It’s been good.
C.B. You have an impressive amount of awards and records in your hockey career, which one means the most to you personally?
T.F. Well, I think when I look back at my career, that I’ve been so very fortunate to be a part of winning teams. Winning has been part of my career and when you play professionally, you get paid to win. And for me, I’ve been a part of that situation lots, and that’s what it’s all about, that’s what it comes down to in the end, you know.
I’ve met tremendous people and tremendous fans. I’ve been extremely lucky to be able to do what I’ve done for so long. I’ve played hockey for a living for three quarters of my life and it’s been very, very rewarding.
C.B. So far in your hockey career, you have played for Moose Jaw, Calgary, Colorado, New York, Chicago and Belfast. Which one of these clubs have given you the most satisfaction to play for and where did you have the most fun?
T.F. You know what, it doesn’t matter where I play hockey. I always have fun. I can’t really say, if there’s one that stands out most. Maybe Calgary, because I consider it my home now and it’s where I spent the most time in my pro career. It’s been a place that’s been very near and dear to my heart for a long time. All my kids are here, I met my future wife here, so it’s a place that’s very special.
C.B. At five foot six inches, you're reported to be the smallest hockey player in the NHL and have had to disprove doubters that you'd be able to play in the league. That must have taken a lot of determination on your part. What do you think size has to do with a person's ability to play hockey?
T.F. Regarding determination, when you grow up on the Prairies, it's long, cold, hard winters... you’ve got to either be tough, or you freeze! I never consider myself small. But I think the one thing that did set me apart from other small guys that tried to play hockey, is the skill level that I bring to the rink every night and that's in the end the reason why, that I've had the success that I've had. Because I do bring very high skill levels to the rink every night.
I also think that there's always room in the team for small, dynamic, exciting players, that are fun to watch and put people in the stands. I think that I may have been a kind of pioneer for a lot of guys that maybe wouldn't have the same opportunity that they have right now.
C.B. Have been able to control the Chron’s?
T.F. Well I’ve been very fortunate, I haven’t really had a whole lot of problems with my Chron’s since it was diagnosed. We treated it and it’s been in remission for a long time and I’ve tried to reduce the stress levels of my life and that has made things a lot better. I’ve been sober for quite a while now and my life has really improved, and I’m feeling good about myself again.
C.B. In reading some of your personal problems that have been documented on and off ice, some of it seems very unfair and seems blown out of proportion at times, what are your thoughts on that?
T.F. Yeah, that’s what the media is. I don’t really care about that stuff anymore. My biggest concern is how I live my life. I used to worry about what other people thought about me. It’s not like that anymore.
One thing that’s always been constant in my life has been my family, they supported me the most and never doubted or left my side, and they are the people in the end who mean the most.
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