What was the point?
That's what fans of Theoren Fleury have to be asking after the 41-year old's comeback was doused by the Calgary Flames.
Fleury seemed at peace on Monday when he announced that, rather than try out for another NHL club, he wanted to officially retire as a Flame. It was also fantastic to hear that he's working on a plan to establish an alcohol and drug rehab centre in the city.
But for many people, Fleury's comeback ended much too quickly and left them feeling a little confused. After all, Fleury showed up at training camp in tremendous shape and ended up finishing third on the team in pre-season scoring while averaging a point per game. Despite all of that, the Sutter brothers (GM Darryl and coach Brent) who run the show in Cowtown decreed that Fleury wasn't fast enough for today's NHL.
However, even if that's true, it seemed like a no-brainer to send the Little Big Man to the Flames’ AHL farm club to play for the brand new Abbotsford Heat. Besides helping to push ticket sales, Fleury would have been an invaluable resource for young players in the organization who will inevitably face some of the same temptations that curtailed Fleury's career. But even though Fleury stated that he'd be willing to kick-start his comeback in British Columbia, the Flames weren't interested.
"There's some real good prospects in this organization and they need playing time," Brent Sutter said.
Come on, Brent.
It's common knowledge in the hockey world that the vast majority of AHL teams consist of a handful of legitimate prospects, a few on the fence, and about ten guys who are simply filling uniforms. There's no reason Fleury couldn't have been one of those guys, and who knows? Maybe after playing 20 games, Theoren would have found the legs to go with a magical pair of hands that have never left him.
But while the ultra-serious Sutters seem to forget that they're also in the entertainment business, Fleury is also being questioned about the true nature of his comeback.
Was he being completely truthful about being ready to report to the minors?
Could it be that he was using his "comeback" to boost his bid for the Hockey Hall of Fame?
Or what about the talk that Theoren was primarily interested in pushing his tell-all book that's coming out next month.
Fleury, of course, isn't thrilled with those queries and maintains that his comeback came totally from the heart.
"To the fans, what can I say? Please don't be angry," said Fleury at Monday's news conference. "We got to say one final goodbye to each other. How many guys get to leave the game to a standing ovation?"
True enough, because with chants of "Theo! Theo! Theo!" cascading through the Saddledome no one will ever forget No. 14's pre-season shootout goal that beat the Islanders.
Now it's been decided that Fleury isn't even good enough to take a few shots down on the farm. Thankfully, there don't seem to be any hard feelings between the two sides and there's already speculation that Fleury is in line for a job with the organization; perhaps even the previously mentioned counseling role that he would have been perfect for while playing in the minors.
And regardless of all the questions over Fleury's exhilarating comeback, there is one absolute truth.
Short of the Flames capturing the Cup, the highlight of their entire season will have occurred during a "meaningless" exhibition game that actually meant a whole bunch to Calgarians.