As the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2009 is about to be celebrated, the debate about future enshrinements is sure to follow. The class of 2010 has a new name to be discussed - Theoren Fleury. (Note: Hall-of-Fame president Jeff Denomme has said Fleury already is eligible for Hall inclusion, since his last game as a pro (in Belfast, Ireland of all places) occurred in 2006. He was eligible for inclusion this year, which is a surprise given he was still technically suspended by the NHL for substance abuse violations.)
Now the questions are: Is Theo Fleury HHOF worthy? and How Does He Stack Up For 2010?
Is Theo Fleury HHOF worthy?
His numbers, though impressive, may not be quite enough. 455 goals and 633 assists for 1,088 points in 1,084 regular season games plus 34 goals and 45 assists for 79 points in 77 playoff games. Very good, heck I'll even say great numbers, but there are a number of players with better numbers who are on the outside looking in at the Hall already. Fleury ranked 456th on the all-time NHL scoring list at the beginning of the 2009-10 season.
But, as I always say, numbers do not tell the whole story. Theoren Fleury was a winner. He was a major contributor to the 1988 World Junior Championship gold medal with Team Canada in 1988, a IHL title in 1988, the Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1989 and the Olympic Gold medal with Canada in 2002. All those championships combined with the solid numbers trump many of the players waiting ahead of him for Hall enshrinement.
If that was the whole story right there, I would say yes, Theo Fleury should be in the Hall of Fame. He was one of the best of his era, there is no doubt in my mind.
The problem is his off-ice behavior overshadowed his many triumphs. The drugs, alcohol, conduct and subsequent suspensions at the time darkened his shine. Since the HHOF selection committee tends to be over the top in the holier than thou department of off ice behavior, it seems certain Fleury stands no chance.
Now, of course, we know the terrible reasons for Fleury's demons. The little underdog that could (don't forget that he played with Chrone's disease, too) is once again making us all proud for conquering obstacles that no one should ever be forced to have. The fact that he did become one of the greatest hockey players of his era while saddled with such a plight is testament to how great he really was on the ice, and to this true character.
It will be very interesting to see how the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee will handle the case for Theo Fleury. The Hall has a chance to welcome a great warrior and a true champion.
How Does He Stack Up For 2010?
Fleury will be a strong candidate in 2010 along with first year hopefuls like Eric Lindros, Joe Nieuwendyk and Peter Bondra. Pierre Turgeon and Sean Burke will also get mild first year interest.
It is a relatively weak first year class, which means previous this may be the chance for players backlogged from previous years, of which there are many: Dino Ciccarelli, Adam Oates, Vincent Damphousse, Mike Richter, Pavel Bure, Phil Housley, Tom Barrasso, Doug Gilmour, Pat Verbeek and Sergei Makarov, amongst others.
As much as I believe Sergei Makarov is the best player on the list, he's likely the last to get any consideration with this committee. In my mind Adam Oates should be included this time around, with Nieuwendyk and Gilmour next in line. Wouldn't it be grand if Fleury were included with his two old Flames teammates?
10 comments:
I DEFINITELY BELIEVE FLEURY SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME.CONSIDERING HIS SIZE, HE WASN"T AFRAID OF ANYONE. AND HIS STATS ARE MORE THAN ABOVE AVERAGE.
No doubt Fleury should be in. He should also be in the Flames lineup right now. He has overcome every disadvantage, every battle he has faced and should be in the Hall.
Doesn't Fleury hold the record for most short-handed goals in a game? Loved his hustle.
I watch him from his junior days in the Jaw with the Warriors. It was obvious even then that he would be an amazing player. None of the other players could catch him. He was taking over games then and he was by far the most passionate player I've ever seen. My favorite memory of him will be the slide on his knees all the way down the ice. Followed by the "brawl in the dark". His point per game average ranks him way up there, he should be in the HHOF.
I agree with RW.
Facing demons from the past that will probably follow you all your life is a hard thing.
I'm faced with such a past ( no physical abuse to me, but my parents gave quite the show ) and even if I forgave people and that I live a good life today, some images in my head are gonna be there forever....
I can't help but sympathize with this great athlete. A man who had to hide a secret for so many years. A warrior, a great hockey players.
Hall of Fame worthy. 100% sure.
Theo should be in. Stats and championships are important, but he also had the intangible of grit, of "heart" that made you recall the stories of the the original six and their attitudes. Not many modern players can be compared, the whole apples to oranges thing, but I can picture Theo mixing it up in the 50's. How many current players does that image come to mind for? Not many. Yes, the demons detract from the legend, but who'd you rather have on the ice when down a point with a minute to go- Lindros? Bure? or Theo Fleury?
Fleury is HOF worthy...
in the late 80's and early 90's the calgary flames were loaded with stars...
fleury played with doug gilmour, joe nieuwendyk, lanny mcdonald, joe mullen, al macinnis, etc...
none of these other players stood out like fleury did... he could do everything: he was a great skater, a great passer, great finisher and surprisingly (at 5'6 and 155 lbs), a good hitter...
he has the stats and accolades needed to get in the hall with his 455 goals, 1088 points, 1084 GP and seven all star appearances...
one of the true measures of a forward's worth in the NHL is his PPG average...
fleury's PPG average of 1.004 is 50th all time and higher than contemporaries such as Luc Robitaille, Glenn Anderson, Dino Ciccarelli and Mike Gartner, all of whom are in the hall...
it’s also higher than many of his peers likely to get in the hall in the future, including:
Sergei Fedorov, Jarome Iginla, Doug Gilmour, Brendan Shanahan and Paul Kariya... not to mention Keith Tkachuk, Vincent Lecavalier, Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk, etc...
bcs of the antics and boozing, the hall will make him wait for awhile, but i think it's unlikely they will deny one of the greatest players of the 90's who won just about everything: a Stanley Cup, the Canada Cup, an IHL cup, Olympic Gold and a World Junior Gold...
He is my favorite modern player. He is a Hockey Hall of Famer whether they enshrine him or not. I don't know anyone in any sport that has had the deck so stacked against him. Drug addled or not he is a character that I enjoy reading about and watching him play was always very exciting. The guy could bring it, and he won at every level, even in Belfast.
fluery should definitely be in the HHOF. his numbers and championships speak volumes. the obstacles he faced and overcame (least of all the child abuse he suffered) should only make him more worthy of HHOF induction.
i would say, based on fan comments on this blog and others, that an overwhelming majority of hockey fans agree that fluery should be inducted into the HHOF.
do the right thing, HHOF, and give fluery his due.
Fleury belongs in the HOF.
Despite being the size of bantam level minor hockey player he made it to the NHL and thrived.
He was an 8 x all star.
He has the requisite HOF stats with over 1000 GP, 455 goals and 1088 points. Averaged better than a point per game over the course of his career.
He was a winner: Stanley Cup (89), Olympic Gold (02), Canada Cup Gold (91), World Junior Gold (88).
He was exciting to watch, always finding the open ice, always playing an up-tempo, gritty game (unlike a lot of the boring hockey you see in the NHL nowadays).
When he tried to make a comeback in 2009 (after 6 years away from the league) he was STILL scoring at a point a game clip in the pre-season.
It's a shame the Flames didn't pick him up for one final year.
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