Saturday, February 23, 2002
He could be a hero
By AL STRACHAN -- Toronto Sun
SALT LAKE CITY -- For 30 years now, Foster Hewitt's call of the final goal in the Summit Series has stirred the hearts of Canadian hockey fans.
Perhaps, decades from now, hockey fans will listen to the recording of Canada's winning goal in the 2002 Olympics and hear, "Fleury! Fleury has scored for Canada!"
Fleury admits to having that dream.
"We're in the game we wanted to be in," the Team Canada winger said yesterday. "(Tomorrow) there's a possibility of a Paul Henderson emerging from any one of us, and that's what it's all about."
And Fleury would like to be the one to emerge?
"Yes," he said, "if my name is called, for sure.
"Your No. 1 dream is to play in the NHL, but probably your second dream is to play in a game like the one we're in (tomorrow) because I remember where I was in 1972 when Paul Henderson scored that goal."
Which was?
"I was at home in front of the TV."
This is something of an achievement. At the time, Fleury was only four years old. But he is sure of that.
"Absolutely," he said with resolution. "It was in Canada. I was from parts unknown."
Parts Unknown, Saskatchewan?
"No. Parts Unknown, Manitoba."
Skepticism is starting to creep in. He remembers Paul Henderson's goal even though he was only four?
"I was smart," Fleury said.
Steve Yzerman, meanwhile, was seven years old during the Summit Series of 1972 and, unlike Fleury, tries not to think of being the hero in a Paul Henderson fashion.
But he is not sure he'll be successful.
"It's like being in the playoffs," Yzerman said yesterday, "and I really try as much as I can not to think about hockey, or to think about the game or what could happen.
"But its hard to keep images like that out of your head.
"I just really want to win, and whatever happens, whoever scores, we're all going to be heroes.I just cross my fingers and try not to think about hockey until Sunday afternoon."
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2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
