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July 31, 2002
During The Last NHL Season.
During The Last NHL Season. . . Former New York Ranger Theo Fleury allowed himself to become a liability on the ice. The reason -- his painful and public battle with alcohol abuse. After the season ended, Rangers general manager Glen Sather refused to pick up the troubled winger's $7 million option -- money that in part helped sign Bobby Holik, among others. Today, Fleury splits his time between his homes in Calgary and Santa Fe, biding his time until the phone rings with a request from another team for his services. In a piece by ESPN.com's George Johnson, the word is out that both Chicago and San Jose (the team acquired the rights to Fleury's option in a trade with the Rangers, but didn't pick it up) are in the market. But if Fleury really wants to face down his demons and accomplish something, he should look back East. In particular, he should think long and hard about returning to New York, and becoming a member of the New York Islanders. Now, last season on Long Island, there were few players as royally despised as Fleury. The fans regularly seranaded him with chants of "Crack-head Theo!" But if he were to show up on opening night in an Islanders uniform, the mood would change immediately. As of now, the Islanders have an open slot on their top line alongside Center Alexei Yashin -- a place where Fleury could easily tally 40 goals or more. As a bonus, if Fleury is serious about demonstrating to his former employers that they made a mistake in letting him go, there is no better place to do it than playing for their biggest rival. Of course, signing with the Islanders could have an incredible downside as well. Were he to fail on Long Island, it would likely be the last stop in his career, and a very unpleasant one at that. Then again, high risk often yields high rewards.
Eric
12:19 AM
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