No. 41: THEOREN FLEURY I / How Do You Solve a Problem like Theo?
Theoren Fleury's life after hockey has been at times troubling. Still, no one should be shocked by his heel-turn as Freedom Convoy-loving, anti-vaxx provocateur. It has always been baked in the cake.
We come across it all the time: former athletes we liked and admired in their playing days whose lifestyles or politics run contrary to our own. (By “contrary,” I’m talking about the tinfoil-hat range.) We’re tempted to presume that they somehow have lost their compass when they had to finally, grudgingly hang up their cleats, their sneakers or their skates.
Did we hope that Theoren Fleury would find his way in retirement? A resounding yes. He had more than his share of trouble and scars that weren’t suffered on the ice. He deserved peace and happiness. I always pulled for him.
Did we think it could all go sideways? Yes and probably some who know him best would have bet on it. I had seen him go from blissfully happy to full-on rage in the space of a few hours—his mood swings would register on weather satellites.
My personal experiences with Theoren Fleury are the subject of the next couple of missives here at How to Succeed in Sportswriting (without Really Trying). Paid subscribers will …
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