Fleury's return over before it begins
EDMONTON (CP) - Former NHL star Theo Fleury's bid to return to organized hockey has been blocked. Fleury had hoped to be in the lineup Thursday night for the Horse Lake Thunder, a senior team in Alberta's North Peace Hockey League. But Fleury was ruled ineligible because he was under NHL contract last season, a Hockey Alberta spokesman said earlier Thursday. A Hockey Canada ruling last month stipulated that NHL players under contract were ineligible to play for the Allan Cup, the symbol of Canadian senior hockey supremacy.''His registration has been turned down,'' said Brad Robbins, Hockey Alberta's manager of operations. ''He was under an NHL contract in 2003-2004.'' Fleury, who is under suspension by the NHL for substance abuse violations, was disappointed with the ruling.''I just think it's pretty funny that it doesn't seem to matter what I do or where I go, it's controversial,'' he told CBC. ''I am getting frustrated with that. It doesn't matter what I do. People are concerned about my life. ''My sole purpose to come here and be here was to have fun and enjoy myself and get back to the roots of the game. I had no idea coming in here that it would cause this much controversy and be such a distraction.''Fleury also said the issue isn't necessarily dead just yet. ''I am not going to give up,'' he said. ''I didn't come up here to lie down.''Fleury was to have made his senior league debut Thursday night in northern Alberta against the Grande Prairie Athletics. The 1,600-seat arena was expected to be packed in anticipation of the feisty forward's return to hockey. Fleury's planned return made headlines across the country and fans reacted quickly. A senior hockey website in Alberta drew dozens of positive responses.''Good luck buddy! I hope everything works out for you,'' said one message. ''Here's hoping that you can put some of the more troubling problems of the last few years behind you,'' said another.The website also said a ''Welcome Back Theo'' party was planned for next week at an Edmonton men's club before the Thunder opened a best-of-five quarter-final series against the Stony Plain Eagles. Fleury, 36, last appeared in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks. But he was suspended in 2003 for an unspecified substance abuse violation.He also played for the Calgary Flames, the Colorado Avalanche and the New York Rangers, and for Canada internationally. The native of Russell, Man., had 1,088 points (455 goals, 633 assists) in 1,084 career NHL games. |