Theo Fleury: Calgary Flames hockey player, author, activist, musician, and now film maker.

Following up his book “Playing With Fire” Fleury put together a documentary about his struggles with surviving his abuse that aires all week on HBO Canada.

For those of you who missed it, Fleury was followed around for 14 months by the husband (Larry Day) of his co-author (Kirstie McLellan Day) with a camera to capture all of Fleury’s moments.  It sheds a new light on an already very public figure.  Fleury and his crew travel to different cities that had an influence on who Fleury is today.  From his childhood home to his different teams, Fleury lets the cameras capture his past.

In this documentary is the trial and results of Graham James, and Fleury does not hold back, not one moment does he come off as a victim.  However, his time in Europe post-NHL career is not touched upon.

Love him or hate him, Fleury lays everything out on the line and Fleury doesn’t take this as a chance to repair any damage.  Rather this documentary helps shed even more light on the man that is Fleury as he works to rebuild his live and relationships.  As Fleury says himself “I’ve pissed off a lot of people, but I’ve also helped a lot of people.”

Witness first hand as he does it.  Check out HBO Canada for times of “Theo Fleury: Playing With Fire”

Theo Fleury Of The Calgary Flames Released The Documentary “Playing With Fire” - Flame for Thought - Flame for Thought - A Calgary Flames blog

March 22, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings head coach Darryl Sutter in the first period against the St. Louis Blues at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Those of you watching the NHL playoffs may see a somewhat familiar face behind the  bench for the Los Angeles Kings. That’d be former Calgary Flames head coach and general manager Darryl Sutter, once again at the helm of an improbable underdog team.

Sutter’s hiring in December was a head-scratcher to analysts at the time, and it certainly was to me. The Kings were a sound defensive team who struggled offensively. While that fits the profile of almost any Darryl Sutter team, one would have thought that the Kings would go away from a defensive-minded coach to someone who could have helped their underachiving scorers.

Initially, there was only a slightly improvement with the new coach, and the Kings managed to sneak into the postseason in the 8th spot. But Sutter’s team has improved in the playoffs, with the coach leading the Kings to two impressive series’ wins over the Vancouver Canucks and the St. Louis Blues.

The Kings’ success with Darryl Sutter at the helm reminds us just what a good coach Sutter was for a time in Calgary. He’s managed to motivate underachievers like Dustin Penner and Jeff Carter, and matches up lines very well on a deep Kings team. This isn’t to say that him leaving the bench for Calgary was wrong, however. Sutter’s history shows short term success, before eventually wearing on his charges. That was fine for the Flames at the time- they hadn’t sniffed real success in years, and Sutter was an important part of that deep playoff run in ’04. And while we can’t say for sure that Sutter would have worn out his welcome, his history with the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks suggest that his intense style would have gotten him booted out eventually.

While the Flames take their time looking for a new bench boss- one assumes they’re waiting for the season to play out to see who’s available- we can take a moment to fondly recall the successes of seasons past. And while his track record as a GM was spotty, there’s no denying how important Darryl Sutter was as a coach to the Flames. We only need to watch the Kings to see proof of his acumen behind the bench.

Blast From The Past: Reflecting On Former Calgary Flames Coach Darryl Sutter - Flame for Thought - Flame for Thought - A Calgary Flames blog