Quote:
Originally Posted by browna
Theo talks about Gaudreau not making it in his day, well, he wouldn't be anywhere near the NHL with the way the development system has evolved, off ice training in the years leading up to draft year, nevermind the increased awareness of substance abuse and programs that he would be in awhile in junior, which would prevent him from being on a big league roster.
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In my opinion, this is an ugly cheap shot.
With the way the development system has evolved maybe he doesn't get repeatedly raped by his junior coach over a period of years.
"At a young and very impressionable age, I was stalked, preyed upon and sexually assaulted over 150 times by an adult my family and I trusted completely.
I was a boy with a big dream and the talent to match. I played hockey in the early morning hours, after school, on the weekends and holidays. I even dreamed of hockey. Everyone in my life knew of my passion and my talent, including convicted pedophile Graham James.
Mr. James was a well-known minor hockey coach, and he zeroed in on my family and me. He skillfully manipulated us all, and eventually my parents entrusted my care and well being to him in order to allow me to move to other towns and cities to advance my hockey dream. He was a larger than life figure with the hockey credentials and education as a teacher, to match, and it was drilled into me that he held the keys to making my dream become a reality.
I was just a kid. A child. I was completely under Graham James's control. And I was scared. I did not have the emotional skills, the knowledge, or the ability to stop the rapes or change my circumstances. I felt lost, alone, and helpless. And those feelings did not stop after I was able to get away from Mr. James; I continued to feel that way for 20+ years afterwards. I descended into years of drug addiction, alcoholism, and addictions to sex, gambling, rage. My loved ones, including my beloved children, spiralled down with me. The pain was all-encompassing. And no matter how many NHL games I won, or money I made, or fame I gained could dull the pain of having been sexually abused by Graham James. His sickness changed my life, changed the lives of everyone who was close to me, and caused more pain than can be measured.
Finally, after a night in the New Mexico desert with a gun in my mouth and finger on the trigger, I found the courage to get help and start a long process of healing. I am now reconciled with my children and family. I have been sober for 6 years and I have put the course of my professional life on an amazing path. I am fortunate to speak to victims, survivors, victors and advocates all over North America. From little boys to men as old as 82 tell me they too have been victimized. I am honoured each and every time they share with me. They shed tears, they tell me secrets they have never dared to tell anyone else, and they look for some sort of peace in the midst of their hell.
That's from Fleury's victim impact statement.
Fleury's battles with addiction and personality conflicts are, in my opinion, a significant reason why he should be honoured by the Flames.
They shouldn't be used to denigrate his significant accomplishments because you think he would've been weeded out by modern training programs. As if guys like Ferland, Poirier, McGrattan and probably a host of other players we don't know about didn't also make the NHL ranks despite their substance use issues.
But there it is again, it doesn't come down to what Fleury meant to the organization, it comes down to rumour and innuendo about his shady past and how he was difficult to deal with.
A grudge, essentially.
Do the Flames even exist if Fleury isn't on the roster between 94 and 99? As Flashpoint said, is "Forever a Flame" a glorified employee of the month club?