Theo Fleury's time has come and gone. 

After a great NHL career, largely with the Calgary Flames, he retired with his pride intact.  Now, years later (with a divorce and some financial issues behind him), he put that pride on the line again, by trying out for the Flames once more.

I desperately wanted his attempted return to the league to be quick, painless, and something I wouldn't have to write about as a legitimate possibility.  But, as I see him carrying his bag to the exit after almost succeeding, I think the whole attempt deserves one, final assessment.

So, finnnnne, fine. I'll write about Theo Fleury's money-motivated comeback.

Or was it fame-hungry? Either way, you can be sure it wasn't "love of the game" hungry like Brett Favre.

I'm not mad at him for trying, I'm just glad the fans didn't have their fantasies fulfilled, because that's what a Fleury comeback was: a fantasy. Something about the whole thing just tasted a bit funny.

I can understand where Theo was coming from. He played in the 1980s and 90s. Money wasn't what it is now, and hey, the guy liked to um ... party a bit. Chuck in a divorce and some kids, and you just can't be mad at the guy for going back to a well that once provided in plenty.

The gimmick factor was just so ever-present. I was worried the Flames were going to make a poor on-ice decision to benefit the team off the ice.

Because keeping him would have been about the obvious off-the-ice advantages, if any. When we first heard about Theo's return, who else found it hard to believe that a 41-year-old with six years off and a party-filled past was NHL-caliber in today's game? Was it just me? I doubt it.

It felt like the WWE had pulled Hulk Hogan up to the ring years after his athletic prime, because they knew people were going to eat it up. And eat it up, Flames fans did.

But the Flames aren't really to blame, either. Theo wanted to come back. When Theo Fleury (undeniably in the top-five most famous Calgary Flames ever) asks for the simple opportunity to try out, is "no" an option? No.

It's just not. It's the same reason why Aaron Rodgers was the Green Bay Packer backup quarterback for FOUR YEARS. Brett wanted to play, and was a huge name in the organization's illustrious past. Whether it was for the good of the team or not, 75 percent of fans were wearing his jersey. By the time it was Rodgers' third year as backup, they wanted Favre out. Two more years later, they eventually had to tell the big guy "look, enough's enough".

It's hard to tell the once-dynamic star of your franchise that he can't play for your team anymore.

How many Flames fans already owned Fleury jerseys? No way it's lower than 10 percent -- and that's a pretty big chunk of your fan base.

Can't you just see Theo in 1991, skating away from his teammates after his overtime playoff goal in game six against the Oilers? On his knees, sliding, fist-pumping it out? That's the best celly in hockey history. I won't even take other votes.

And the guy wanted to come back. Who cares the reason? The Flames had to give him that chance because he wanted it, the same way the Packers tried to let Favre get his fill.

But chance be given, how were they supposed to actually keep him, Flames fans? It seemed everything I read and heard during Theo's comeback implied that fans thought he was good enough to stay. In reality, how much better would he have to have been than a young guy already under contract to deserve to keep that spot? Especially if you ignore the value of the name on the back, and focus on what the person inside the jersey can do for your team.

And even though I don't blame Theo or the Flames for the tryout, I felt like I was watching the NHL become the XFL, placing exposure and marketing over fielding the best team. I was getting antsy waiting for the big cut to come, and growing more annoyed with each day his play and the rhetoric from the Flames brass implied that he had a legitimate shot.

If they had signed Theo, they would have had him for this year, and maybe the next, at most. Thankfully everybody in the organization was well aware that it wasn't worth the cost of sending a contracted young kid to the AHL who could be gaining valuable NHL experience, while probably giving you similar production and better durability -- just to please their already supple fan base.

My first reaction to the Fleury tryout? "It's gonna be awkward when they have to cut him." Fleury made it twice as bad by making a good push for a spot.

So somehow, the Flames had to cut a Theo Fleury that was apparently good enough to play in the NHL  Didn't see that wrinkle comin', didja Sutter boys?

Let's just all agree that the best thing that could have happened in this situation did: Theo slunk back into retirement and the Flames are fielding the best team possible.

The release of Theo reaffirmed the credibility of the NHL. While the league could probably do a much better job of marketing itself, it has yet to sink to the depths of sacrificing quality for attention.

So I'm glad Theo got cut, not for his sake, but for the league's. Hopefully he'll find a new well to draw from now that this one has dried up.

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I was a huge Fleury Fan in his previous run, and while I would have loved to see him play again the likelihood of him surviving the full season physically was just so small! He's a wonderful agitator, and a fan favorite - so get him a job in the Marketing office doing stints on how hockey is great and how even rough tough hockey players can make bad decisions and everyone gets to be happy!

Deirdre Schwein , October 05, 2009

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If a Vick (bad boy cruel to animals) can get back in and fans eat it up, why not a Fleury..at least on the staff end! Plus the mileage the organziation could get out of abused and former user Bad Boy makes heroic effort? Duh!

chris , October 11, 2009

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