I can't help but root for the comeback attempts of Theoren Fleury and Jason Allison.

I recall sitting in the stands with Bryan Trottier a number of years ago at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh and asking him, “Do you miss playing?”

Staring at the players practising on the ice, the six-time Stanley Cup champion and Hall of Famer quietly responded: “Only every day.”

Hockey, it seems, is a tough game to walk, er, skate away from.

So it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Theoren Fleury and Jason Allison are attending NHL training camps, each hoping to resume careers that ended prematurely for different reasons.

Fleury, an all-world player in his prime, flamed out in a haze of self-destructive behavior including drug and alcohol abuse. He seems to have his demons in check and claims he has been sober for the past few years and, at 41, looks pretty good for an old fart. Allison, now 34, just seemed to fade away after injuring himself in a fight.

Calgary seems like a perfect fit for Fleury. It’s where he enjoyed his greatest triumphs, including winning the Stanley Cup in 1989.

For Allison, though, Toronto seems like a curious choice because the locals, who felt he was too slow to make an impact in today’s fast-paced game, never appreciated him. On the other hand, the Maple Leafs are short on proven scorers and Allison has 485 points in 552 games. I’ve always had a great appreciation for Allison’s savvy and think, at the very least, he could be productive on the power play.

Of course, at the end of the day this whole thing could be about money. Where else do former players turn to make the kind of dough they made playing this sport? I sure hope that isn’t the case for these two guys. According to hockeyzoneplus.com, Fleury made more than $40 million in his career while Allison made nearly $31 million.

Regardless, it is interesting to see two more players trying to continue living the dream. As a fellow old fart, I wish them the best of luck.

DESERT STORM:

The Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy situation continues to be a huge black eye for the NHL as it gears up for another season. Never mind the fact we don’t know who will own the team and if it will continue to play in Phoenix, but how can anybody take a team seriously when its head coach is not participating in workouts? Because of Wayne Gretzky’s contract situation – he makes $8 million as coach and managing partner – he has elected to stay away from Jobing.com Arena while the Coyotes attempt to set a game plan in motion.

If we are being honest, Gretzky was only signed as coach to bring attention to a franchise mistakenly located in a non-hockey market. That he has shown signs of becoming an effective coach is neither here nor there, as this mess plays itself out.

What we do know is no matter who ends up owning the team, it is going to be next to impossible to make a go of it in Phoenix. The fact that an associate coach – Ulf Samuelsson – is now running the show while the team’s head coach stays away only adds to the embarrassment.

It is awful that the most recognized name in the history of the sport should be caught in the crossfire of one of the ugliest chapters in league history.

All of which leads me to wonder, how is it going to look if only 1,000 fans show up for the home opener in a rink that seats 17,125?

SHAMELESS PLUG:

In case you haven’t heard, hockeycentral@noon on The Fan 590 in Toronto and Rogers Sportsnet on television has been expanded to two hours, from noon until 2 p.m. (EST), Monday to Friday.

NOT SO FAST:

I have made it abundantly clear that I am not sold on the changes the Montreal Canadiens made in the off-season in an attempt to wipe last year’s disastrous year from the memory banks. That said, I believe Bob Gainey made a very wise choice in bringing in Jacques Martin as coach.

I don’t necessarily like the way Martin has his teams play defence first, but he has proven himself to be a very effective teacher. I often joke that like Roger Neilson, Martin would rather see his team lose 1-0 than win 10-9. Fans in Montreal might not cozy up to Martin’s style of play, but if the wins start rolling in I doubt you’ll hear too many complaints. Also, Martin just may be the elixir goaltender Carey Price needs to get his game back. There is no question he will face fewer shots and quality scoring chances if Martin is successful in getting his message across to Montreal’s skaters.