Episode 05: Theo Fleury

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As a hockey player, Theo Fleury won an Olympic Gold Medal for Canada and a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames. He is also responsible for one of the most memorable goal celebrations in NHL history. But it’s his victories off the ice, as a survivor of addiction and abuse, and a champion for recovery, which he’s most proud of. On today’s Games People Play podcast, Bernie and Theo talk about the infamous Canada-Russia brawl at the 1987 World Junior Tournament; the Edmonton-Calgary rivalry of the 80s and 90s; owning one of the few NHL scoring records not held by Wayne Gretzky; playing in Ireland for the Belfast Giants, and the importance of retiring a Flame. Later, Theo tells of a chance meeting at a golf tournament and how it led to the writing of his memoir, Playing With Fire, which recounts his experience as a child of trauma victim parents, his own sexual abuse, healing through music and reconnection with his Aboriginal roots, and his current calling as an inspirational speaker.