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Despite his latest problems, Gretzky still backs Fleury
By Tim Buckley
Deseret News sports writer
Just one week ago, the executive director of Canada's men's Olympic hockey team said he stood firmly behind tormented New York Rangers forward Theo Fleury.
"We feel very strongly that Theo is going to be fine," Wayne Gretzky said. "I still believe that Theo is going to be a big part of the success of this team."
Now, though, Fleury's worries have taken another quirky turn - down a road that leads directly to Salt Lake, and the 2002 Winter Games.
During the third period of the Rangers' 3-1 NHL loss to Detroit on Wednesday night, Fleury swapped shoves and exchanged words with Red Wings defenseman and American team captain Chris Chelios.
By hockey standards, shoving and shouting is rather ordinary fare.
Fleury, however, claims Wednesday's incident and Chelios' words were more than just that — an accusation he planned to take to NHL officials, and one that could carry over all the way to Olympic play.
"It was very, very personal," Fleury, who declined to give specifics, told the Associated Press. "There's no place in the game for that at all."
Chelios' reaction? It's all overreaction.
"There's a lot said on the ice," he told AP.
"I think Theo is bringing this upon his self," Chelios added. "What's happened has happened. It's unfortunate what has happened to him the past couple of years."
Fleury took a voluntary leave from the Rangers for their last 20 games last season to treat an undisclosed substance-abuse problem. Then, last month, he said he was suffering from personal-issues stress unrelated to the substance-abuse issue.
Those facts, Chelios suggested, had nothing to do with what happened Wednesday.
"When you poke at the goalie, you got to say something," Chelios said with reference to Red Wings netminder Dominik Hasek, who will play in the Olympics for the Czech Republic. "He poked at Dom, I went to hit him and words were said. He started yapping first, I started yapping second.
"He's a great player," Chelios added. "It's unfortunate the stuff he's had to go through, but that's just the way it is."
Gretzky said last Friday that Canadian officials have been following Fleury's travails, but that's no different than other team members.
"From 1 to 23, since the team has been selected, " Gretzky said, "we've monitored each and every player — whether they have a cold, whether they have a bad game, whether they have a knee injury, concussion, or, in Theo's case, what he's gone through. So we've watched each and every player.
"Like everyone else, do we get concerned? Absolutely," Gretzky added. "Do we worry about it? . . . We think each and every guy is important. If they have an off-situation, it bothers us, and we pay attention to it."
Those observations — combined with input from Rangers trainer Jim Ramsey, who also happens to be Team Canada's trainer — leave Gretzky convinced Fleury will be good to go for the Games.
"He's one of the best players in the game, and he's going to be a big part of a contribution to this hockey club winning a gold medal," Gretzky said. "We have full confidence he'll do that for us."
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com
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February 8, 2002
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