SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Hockey
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
COLUMNS
NHL
The Teams
Full Schedule
Monthly Schedule
Standings
Statistics
Rosters
Injury list
Movement
Trades
Hits Gallery
INTERACTIVE
JUNIOR
MORE HOCKEY
ALSO ON SLAM!
Monday, March 1, 1999
Hole to fill
Sounded pretty much like Theoren Fleury's regular doorbell, not a dull, hollow death-knell ending his career here.
That early in the morning, how was he to tell ...
"I thought to myself 'Who'd be at the door at 8:30?' " wondered Fleury, traipsing around in his bathrobe at the time.
"When I opened the door, I knew it was Coatsy, even though I didn't see him right away.
"Actually, I thought he was playing Knock Knock Ginger with me. You know, knock on the door and then run away and hide. But it was him. I saw his little red car parked down the street."
General manager Al Coates might as well have backed up a big, black hearse on the Flames' playoff hopes. This is a deal for tomorrow, not today or, despite the party-line propaganda, the next two months.
Actually, Coates had originally gone to the wrong house to deliver his news. He was stubbornly blaming Fleury's recent move on the confusion but perhaps it was really a subconscious thing.
"Our first choice," admitted Coates, "was always to keep Theo.''
But the extravagant price of doing business in today's NHL made that impossible.
The man might've been forgiven for wandering down the hill a ways and blindly throwing himself into McKenzie Lake.
"I told him: 'It is what you think, but it's not as bad as you think,' " said Coates. "You got half your wish. I know you didn't want to be traded, but if it had to happen, you wanted to stay in the west."
Just when it seemed the Flames were left no alternative but to keep Fleury, what with the playoffs so close and the offers apparently so meagre, he's gone.
In return, Calgary gets Rene Corbet, hulking prospect Wade Belak and, far more importantly, a first-round pick in the 2000 draft if Fleury signs with the Avs, a second-round compensatory pick if he doesn't; plus, even more importantly than far more importantly, a player off an agreed-upon list of Colorado's unsigned reserve list.
Sources in Denver are emphatic that budding superstar Alex Tanguay, the 12th overall selection last year, is NOT on that list.
"I don't know what to feel," said Fleury, haltingly, at a jam-packed news conference. "I've always been here ... So many emotions." And then he began to sob, put his head down on the table and was comforted by his wife Veronica.
"I've had many tough things to go through during my years here but this ... this is one of the toughest."
He broke down later, as well, when ex-plaining why his oldest son, Josh, was absent from the news conference.
"Josh had a game today and he told me 'Dad, it's really important,' " said Fleury, his emotion beginning to crack again. "I told him he had to do what he had to do.
"We'll have lots of time to be together. Denver is only two hours away."
Fleury's tears of sadness will quickly be replaced by tears of joy, however. Once he hops over the boards tonight at McNichols Arena and finds Sakic, Forsberg, Ozolinsh and Deadmarsh out there to play keep-away with him.
"This means that bad nights (for him) can still wind up being good nights, because they've got a tremendous amount of talent there," said Fleury. "Great players. I hope to elevate their games, and I expect them to elevate mine.
"I'm a Western Canadian kid. That's why this was such a good fit here in Calgary. And Denver's a lot like Calgary.
"Hey, I'll still be out there trying to help the Flames. Playing for Colorado against the Oilers and San Jose. You know I'll be trying extra hard against them to help out the guys here.
"A piece of me will always be a Calgary Flame. But I'm excited about this opportunity.
"I guess Colorado got me to put them over the top. I remember how much fun it was to win a Stanley Cup 11 years ago. I'd like to experience that again."
Fleury smiled. "It's going to be fun being in the playoffs again. It's been a long time."
Without Fleury, the wait promises to stretch on here.
So, when standing back to assess the deal, did the Flames get enough?
"For a guy this special, nothing could ever be enough," replied assistant coach Al MacNeil. "It's a sad, sad day. But you can't get keep the guy and get nothing for him in July. That absolutely kills your team."
Many wonder if now, minus it's lone marquee man, if that team isn't halfway to the morgue as it is.