Advertising Opportunities

Theoren Fleury has been a member of the Calgary Flames his whole career. Back in the spring of 1989, the diminutive forward won over the hearts of Flames fans with his in-your-face, hard-hitting play. Fleury became the sparkplug for a veteran Flames squad as they defeated Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens to take home the Stanley Cup.

Theo Fleury by Meredith Martini

The good times have come and gone in Calgary, but one constant has remained. Night in and night out, Fleury continues to charm fans at the Saddledome and captures their imagination as the 5-foot-6 center/winger speeds up and down the ice to take on opponents close to a foot taller than he is.

Fleury has become a fixture in Calgary. But after this season, however, Fleury becomes an unrestricted free agent. And since he plays for the financially challenged Flames, there's not much hope that his team can make him a competitive offer. So the five-time All-Star and the Flames organization have some big decisions to make.

Should he stay or should he go?

To the dismay of many Flames fans, there has been a lot of talk already this season about the Flames trading their only star player. Rumors have Fleury heading to Philadelphia to play alongside Eric Lindros and John LeClair. But the rumors have died down since the Flyers acquired Keith Jones to fill the right wing position on the Legion of Doom line. Other possible destinations could be the Rangers or perhaps the Devils.

But if the Flames don't trade Fleury before the trading deadline, the spotlight will turn on him. Can Fleury leave Calgary, a town he lives in and loves, for more money somewhere else? And what would the fans think? Would they think he left them for the almighty dollar, or would they wish him luck in his quest to compete with talented stars on another team?

Fleury said in training camp that if he didn't have a contract by a certain date, he'd take offers from other teams after the season. So far, his statement still stands.

"I think that, on one hand, maybe it would be good to have a change," Fleury said. "But on the other hand you look at a guy like Ray Bourque and how great of a player he's been for one team his entire career. And with free agency and whatnot, those things don't happen anymore.

"It's pretty rare to find guys that have been on the same team for 10 years and longer."

For the record, Fleury is in his 11th season with the Calgary Flames. And it seems that after all these years of wear and tear, the former team captain is showing no signs of slowing down. Fleury has scored 21 points in 20 games this season. He has 10 goals, including two hat tricks, is a plus-5 on a below average team and is second in the league with 84 shots.

Today's Theo Fleury is a lot calmer on the ice than he was early in his career. You usually won't see him flying into corners and throwing himself at opponents along the boards. Fleury realizes that if he is going to have a long and successful career, he's going to have to be a smart player. There will be no more challenges against the league's tough guys, like the time during his rookie year when he jumped Ken Baumgartner from behind and proceeded to get pummeled. Fleury doesn't have to pull stunts like that anymore. He feels that he now has the respect of most players in the league.

"I think I definitely have more respect from my opponents than I did before," he said. "I've been around long enough and people know that I'm going to compete hard every night. I don't think I'm as chippy as I used to be when I first came into the league. I've gotten a lot smarter. And I have to reserve my energy because I do play a lot."

Fleury plays around 20 minutes a game for the Flames. He plays on the power play, short-handed, and at even strength. The organization knows how important he is, not only to the team, but to the community, as well. Without Fleury the team would be hard-pressed to attract as many fans as it does.

Which makes the financial decisions surrounding Fleury all the more difficult to make. The organization must decide if keeping Fleury is crucial for the future of the franchise.

If Theo Fleury leaves the fans in Calgary, it might not be long before the Flames are extinguished from the Alberta countryside, as well.

[ issues | stats | nhl archive | home | nhl history | about us | search | comments ]