The Fall and Rise of Theo Fleury: With a "tell-all" book hitting the shelves this week (Playing with Fire, HarperCollins Canada), Fleury goes on the record with the fifth estate and candidly discusses the dark issues that haunted him during the glory years, including the sexual abuse he experienced as a teenager at the hand of the now notorious junior hockey coach, Graham James. Behind the public bravado was a man struggling to shake off his demons. He found his release in increasingly erratic behaviour on and off the ice, fuelled by addictions to alcohol, drugs, sex. The fifth estate's Bob McKeown talks to those who know Fleury best -- both personally and professionally. We'll meet Sheldon Kennedy -- Fleury's childhood friend, Calgary Flames teammate, and a victim of the same junior hockey coach. And the fifth estate talks with Fleury's wife, Jennifer, who married Theo in September 2006, following a year of sobriety, and with whom he credits turning his life around.
posted by tommytrump to hockey at 10:51 PM - 3 comments
I used to love watching Fleury play, but I always thought there was something behind the way he played, with such a huge chip on his shoulder. When Sheldon Kennedy came out and spoke about Graham James, it was pretty easy to figure out Fleury probably suffered the same abuse as Kennedy did. Too bad Theo couldn't stick with the Flames this year...would've been a great story.
posted by cletus7777 at 11:52 PM on October 20, 2009
$30,000 on strippers, booze and cocaine in a single evening seems pretty epic to me.
chump change for rappers and hip-hop artists.
posted by irunfromclones at 04:38 PM on October 21, 2009
This was pretty interesting - just watched it. $30,000 on strippers, booze and cocaine in a single evening seems pretty epic to me.
posted by fabulon7 at 11:14 PM on October 20, 2009