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Fleury's a hometown hero

Calgary Flames rookie Theoren Fleury may be small - all of five feet six inches and 155 pounds - but he doesn't play small. Called up from the minors in January, the little sparkplug is a big reason the Flames are headed to the Stanley Cup finals. In his hometown of Russell, Man., The Inside Track finds residents gathered to cheer on the fan favourite and native son. "He's an easy-going guy," says his brother Ted, "but when he steps on the ice, he's all business."
• Theoren Fleury would go on to become the all-time leading point scorer for the Calgary Flames. Just two months after this segment aired, Fleury and his teammates beat the Montreal Canadiens in six games to hoist the Stanley Cup for the very first time in Calgary.

• Fleury stayed with the Flames until 1999, when he was traded to Colorado where he played only a brief stint before joining the New York Rangers for three seasons.

• In 1998 and 2002, the scrappy right-winger was tapped to play for the Canadian Olympic team. Although the 1998 team finished out of the medals, the 2002 team captured gold for Canada.

• Fleury was not new to international play. As a junior, he was at the centre of the famed 'Punch-up in Piestany', which took place during the final game of the 1987 World Junior Hockey Championships. It led to the disqualification of both the Canadian and the Russian teams.

• In 2002-2003, Fleury signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, but did not finish the season after he was suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of his substance abuse aftercare program. Fleury signed for one year with Belfast of the British Elite Ice Hockey League in 2005. It was his last engagement as professional hockey player.

• This report gives two different heights for Theoren Fleury. His official NHL recorded size was five feet six inches, not five feet five inches as the introduction indicates.

Medium: Radio
Program: The Inside Track
Broadcast Date: May 20, 1989
Guest(s): Ted Fleury, Donna Fleury, Harry Neale, Len Pelts, Edie Pelts, Vern Rosnoski
Reporter: Bill Smith
Duration: 6:06

Last updated: September 19, 2013

Page consulted on September 19, 2013

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