Fleury overdue for recognition by Flames

[GreenLantern]

I don't know if this was posted, I tried searching and couldn't find it and the article was from today.

I am not sure who Larry Brooks is, but I think I have seen his name thrown around this forum before, I feel like as a hack writer but anyway..

Here are the comparative numbers recorded for their club by a pair of right wings who were teammates on their franchise’s only Stanley Cup championship squad:
Player A: 791 GP, 364 G, 466 A, 830 PTS
Player B: 492 GP, 215 G, 191 A, 406 PTS
And it is Player B whose number is retired and hangs from the home arena’s rafters.
Player B is Lanny McDonald.
Player A is Theo Fleury.
And the franchise, of course, is the Calgary Flames, Cup winners in 1989.

http://nypost.com/2014/12/20/fleury-...ion-by-flames/


You're welcome Mr. Brooks for the hits generated by Cpuck, feel free to donate!



I think what bothers me the most about this article is that it was posted by Theo on my facebook feed. Attention whore much? Let me help you with that..

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

I don't know if this was posted, I tried searching and couldn't find it and the article was from today.

I am not sure who Larry Brooks is, but I think I have seen his name thrown around this forum before, I feel like as a hack writer but anyway..




http://nypost.com/2014/12/20/fleury-...ion-by-flames/


You're welcome Mr. Brooks for the hits generated by Cpuck, feel free to donate!



I think what bothers me the most about this article is that it was posted by Theo on my facebook feed. Attention whore much? Let me help you with that..

This is why he hasn't been honoured yet IMO. Guy thinks too highly of himself and can't keep his mouth shut.

[Drury18]

Player B was a class act as told by almost everyone whose talked or met him and continued to be long after his retirement and has never stopped giving back to Calgary.

Player A was a man with less then reputable character as told by many different people and when was the last time you saw him at a Flames Alumni event giving back to the community or even acknowledging the fans of Calgary without some sort of personal gain or camera time focused on one of his personal projects?

This is why Player B hangs in the rafters

[Mister Yamoto]

Let the Calgary Vipers honour him.

Plenty of alumni more deserving than Fleury. In fact, I'd say Fleury does not deserve it at all.

[Barnet Flame]

I've just finished reading this following the FB link as well.

If it was solely about the hockey, he has to have his number retired.

But it isn't. And as much as I respect everything he overcame to become the amazing NHL talent he was, he sure does not make it easy for the Flames to acknowledge him.

It could be brilliant, it could be the action that underlines all he achieved for us.

But it could also be a car crash.

That said, I'd take the risk. He overcame some horrific stuff to play amazing hockey, but what happened shaped how he is, and he is a very insecure man who despite it, deserves to have his number hanging from the rafters.

[neo45]

He deserves it. There are players in the hall of fame that weren't nearly as good as he was. One of the most talented skilled players ever

[calgarywinning]

I don't think we should argue that he doesn't deserve it, but I think we should wait until Gaudreau outdoes his statistics. This is good for Fleury and his EGO and the Flames.

Now taking nominations.

[polak]

Too cocky and annoying and to me his rep is exactly accurate. i met him a few times and every time he seems like an ass. Came in to the jersey store i worked in when i was in uni a couple years ago and was asking if we had his jersey, when i told him we don't carry crested vintage jerseys he got all bitchy.

[LIP MAN]

Originally Posted by polak

Too cocky and annoying and to me his rep is exactly accurate. i met him a few times and every time he seems like an ass. Came in to the jersey store i worked in when i was in uni a couple years ago and was asking if we had his jersey, when i told him we don't carry crested vintage jerseys he got all bitchy.

Theo and his wife (now Ex) used to come into a grocery store I worked at about 16 years ago. Was always friendly and personable. Must have more of a crusty side to him these days.

[btimbit]

On the ice accomplishments: Absolutely, without a doubt

Off the ice..... yikes.


If it wasn't for Fluery, I wouldn't be half as interested in hockey as I am today. Huge fan of his growing up. But there's a good reason why there's been no recognition

[Daradon]

Fleury eventually will get his recognition, and I feel he should too, but as many have mentioned, a lot of it has been his fault.

Besides the fact of his off ice antics, which I feel can be understood and excused knowing what the man went through as a boy, he has consistently butted heads with the Flames org.

I was all for fast tracking his jersey after his try out a few years back so he could retire as a Flame, but he went all toxic again right after that, saying he shoulda made the team, blah blah blah, acting like a bit of a jerk. Sure he apologized a few days later, but the damage is done. He's gotta learn how to cool it. And if he wants to be recognized by the Flaming C, he's gotta stop fighting with them, and embarrassing them. Embarrass is probably a strong word, but you know what I mean. There has to be mutual respect. There isn't now, it needs to be built up on both sides. Fleury has to respect the org too.

Add the fact that the Flames seem to want to take their time with decisions like this now (see MacInnis and Vernon) and I'm not surprised Fleury isn't honored yet.

He was my favorite player growing up too. And I cringe when I think about all the things that happened to him as a boy, there is nothing worse. And I do think that excuses some of the stuff in the past. But it doesn't excuse his behavior now. He's gotta make nice. I'm sure the Flames will honor him when he does.

[MoBiBu]

If there's a 'Nice Guy Hall of Fame' then Player B can also go into that hall, but it seems 'Hockey' is the key word.

Eddie Shore is in the Hall as a defenseman despite being such a dick that the NHLPA was created largely in response to his actions as an owner.

Terry Sawchuk died at the age of 40 after a drunken fight over rental expenses with his roomate and teammate Ron Stewart. He was renting the house because his wife of 16 years divorced him after years of abuse (and likely the mistress on the side he'd knocked up in 1967)... yet he's in the hall.

Hell, Guy Lafleur is a convicted criminal.

Anyone who doesn't want to let Fleury in because his personality rubs them the wrong way ought to be prepared to start lobbying that same standard be applied to everyone in the Hall. Which is why that standard has no business keeping Fleury out; the hall is about the what the players accomplished with skates on ice. It shouldn't be about what personality comes out of Normal Rockwell-esque idyllic childhood in Hanna, Alberta versus that of a childhood spent in a Russell, Manitoba broken home followed by years of being subjected to sexual abuse as an adolescent.

[Jason14h]

Go watch a theo highlight real. You may come back very surprised how insanely good he was.

It is a joke he isn't in the rafters when Al - screw the flames- MacInnis is

[FlameZilla]

Originally Posted by MoBiBu

Hell, Guy Lafleur is a convicted criminal.

I didn't realise Lafleur was convicted. I assume it had something to do with this?:

Spoiler!

[normtwofinger]

Here's a question. Would you be offended if the Flames announced they were going to retire his number? I know I would not be.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by MoBiBu

If there's a 'Nice Guy Hall of Fame' then Player B can also go into that hall, but it seems 'Hockey' is the key word.

Eddie Shore is in the Hall as a defenseman despite being such a dick that the NHLPA was created largely in response to his actions as an owner.

Terry Sawchuk died at the age of 40 after a drunken fight over rental expenses with his roomate and teammate Ron Stewart. He was renting the house because his wife of 16 years divorced him after years of abuse (and likely the mistress on the side he'd knocked up in 1967)... yet he's in the hall.

Hell, Guy Lafleur is a convicted criminal.

Anyone who doesn't want to let Fleury in because his personality rubs them the wrong way ought to be prepared to start lobbying that same standard be applied to everyone in the Hall. Which is why that standard has no business keeping Fleury out; the hall is about the what the players accomplished with skates on ice. It shouldn't be about what personality comes out of Normal Rockwell-esque idyllic childhood in Hanna, Alberta versus that of a childhood spent in a Russell, Manitoba broken home followed by years of being subjected to sexual abuse as an adolescent.

Except we're not taking about the hall. Were talking about the flames not retiring his number.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Go watch a theo highlight real. You may come back very surprised how insanely good he was.

It is a joke he isn't in the rafters when Al - screw the flames- MacInnis is

I agree that Fleury deserves all the same accolades, but I don't think it's fair to tarnish the memory of MacInnis as a Flame. He never said anything bad about Calgary or the Flames, only that he felt more connected to the Blues organization. He was nothing but awesome as a Flame. At the very least he never pulled Gilmour or Nieuwendyk.

[MoBiBu]

Originally Posted by chedder

Except we're not taking about the hall. Were talking about the flames not retiring his number.

It was a late night for me (not out drinking, just recovering data from my cell with its freshly busted screen) but maybe this will do for a recovery:

The 3 Flames players in the Hockey Hall of Fame who played the most seasons of their careers with the Flames are Lanny, MacInnis and Nieuwendyk. Lanny's # is retired while MacInnis and Niewendyk are "Forever a Flame"

So... if I'm right that Fleury deserves to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, the fact that the Flames have also significantly recognized every Flame player to do so (players like Fuhr and Hull don't count) really makes the lack of recognition all the more egregious: it's a double slap in the face!

And yet people complain that Theo likes to toot his own horn? Neither the Hall nor his former team seem to want to extend him the recognition they extended to others, so why hold it against him that he's not going to meekly wait around for them to do it.

Also, interesting to note that Fleury has more Molson Cups as a Flame than those 3 combined and is tied with MacInnis for franchise lead in All-Star Game selections.

[JiriHrdina]

An honor such as this is about more than performance on the ice. Once Fleury shuts his yap for an extended period of time - then I think the organization would do it.

But since he seems 100% incapable of that - it will not happen for a long time.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by MoBiBu

It was a late night for me (not out drinking, just recovering data from my cell with its freshly busted screen) but maybe this will do for a recovery:

The 3 Flames players in the Hockey Hall of Fame who played the most seasons of their careers with the Flames are Lanny, MacInnis and Nieuwendyk. Lanny's # is retired while MacInnis and Niewendyk are "Forever a Flame"

So... if I'm right that Fleury deserves to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, the fact that the Flames have also significantly recognized every Flame player to do so (players like Fuhr and Hull don't count) really makes the lack of recognition all the more egregious: it's a double slap in the face!

And yet people complain that Theo likes to toot his own horn? Neither the Hall nor his former team seem to want to extend him the recognition they extended to others, so why hold it against him that he's not going to meekly wait around for them to do it.

Also, interesting to note that Fleury has more Molson Cups as a Flame than those 3 combined and is tied with MacInnis for franchise lead in All-Star Game selections.

Odd logic
Flames have honored every player that is in the hall that played significant time for them
Fleury isn't in the Hall
Therefore it isn't relevant.

You are arguing that since he deserves to be in the Hall he should have his number honored. But the fact is - he ain't.

To draw a parallel. Doug Gilmour is also not in the Hall and not honored by the Flames. Should he be in the Hall? Maybe. Does that mean he would have to be honored by the Flames? No.