A Look At Theo Fleury: Part One

Theo Fleury is one of the best players of all time not to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Here is part one of a two-part story on Theo Fleury! Enjoy!

Theo Fleury was arguably the best "small" player in the history of the game. At only 5'6'', he played with the heart and grit necessary to reach the highest levels of the sport. Being constantly told that he would never make it, Theo became a Stanley Cup champion, two-time Olympian, and one of the most dynamic forwards of his time.

"When you use the word `little' to describe Theo Fleury, you're not talking about his heart," said Wayne Gretzky. "This is a 50-goal scorer who could play for any team in the NHL. He's a small man who has the ability to make the big play at any time. He's living proof that size is not an insurmountable hurdle in making it to the NHL. I thoroughly enjoyed playing with Theo in the 1991 Canada Cup. His quickness in going to the net often catches defensemen and goaltenders asleep. When his arms are raised after scoring a goal, then he doesn't look so small."

Theo overcame so much to get to the top of the hockey world. He was very pesky and annoying to play against, but Fleury had the speed and skills to score in bunches too in addition to his tough play. There's no doubt about it that Fleury was one of the defining players of his era. With tons of star quality, he was one of the most popular and exciting players in the game. During a time where the focus on size was at its peak, he redefined what was possible from a "small" player. Theo won the Stanley Cup in his rookie season with Calgary. They won the deciding game at the Montreal Forum, becoming the only visiting team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup on Montreal's home ice.