More Theoren Fleury

The CBC's The Fifth Estate followed up George Stroumboulopoulos' interview on The Hour with an in-depth interview last night. Bob McKeown did an excellent job in his examination of "The Code" earlier this year, and he really put everything in perspective by asking the probing questions. I have nothing by the utmost respect for Mr. McKeown's interview style and the work he does for The Fifth Estate, so I was looking forward to this interview as much as I was afraid to hear some of the details he was about to present. Needless to say, this story may not be suitable for children due to some of the issues that McKeown examines.

The 45-minute interview involves not only Theoren Fleury, but Sheldon Kennedy, writer Tim Francis, Rangers GM Glen Sather, and his wife Jennifer. The interview is tough to watch at times because Fleury's story comes so honestly and so easily in terms of seeing his addictions, his fragile emotional state, and his deeply hidden secrets. I've watched the interview twice, and it's difficult to see a man who once was on top of the world, then traveled to the depths of hell, but managed to fight his way back.

I won't lie: this interview really shows an honest, genuine side of Fleury. He's talks openly about his battles, his addictions, his defeats, and his overcoming all of the despair he had in his life. This might be one of the best interviews I have seen ever, and that's not just in hockey. I mean, it is one of the best I have ever seen about any topic. Bob McKeown deserves some praise for this interview, and Theoren Fleury pulls no punches when asked the tough questions.

Here is the link to the entire story, including the full 45-minute video. The timeline on the entire story is here, and is comprehensive in its building of the chronological sequence.

Let me know what you think. Again, do you respect Fleury any more than what you knew of him after seeing this type of serious examination of him?

I just want to apologize to Matt and Ruth right now. I am having some issues in downloading the photos you sent. It has nothing to do with the pictures themselves, but my Gmail account is giving me some trouble in downloading them. Once I have that resolved, I'll post your story immediately. Honestly, I am very excited about this story, and I really wanted to have it up and posted today. I apologize.

To my readers, I apologize for not having Matt and Ruth's amazing interview posted today, but those pictures make the interview that much more incredible, and they are a vital part of the story. As I stated above, I'll post that as soon as Google tells me why their service won't let me download the pictures.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!