Having played in the NHL from 1989 through 2003 — hockey’s greatest era — Theo Fleury now gets to watch his peers enter the Hockey Hall of Fame.
We asked the 1,000-point player to break down what it was like to go head-to-head with the four honourees (player category) of the 2014 group.
“It’s a great class,” Fleury says. “Those guys all deserve to be there. It’s neat to see the guys go into the Hall of Fame every year, especially now that it’s guys from my era. It’s neat to look back at their careers and admire what they accomplished.”
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Rob Blake
“An unassuming giant. He wasn’t that real aggressive guy, but he hit me a few times where I went, ‘OK. I better make sure I know where he is on the ice at all times because this guy could hurt me.’ He was just steady. He had decent offensive ability, but was just one of those giant hockey guys. Y’know?”
Peter Forsberg
“I got a chance to play with Peter Forsberg [Fleury was traded to Colorado in 1999], and he was probably one of the most talented guys ever. Just how he slowed the game down to his speed, his level.”
“Dominik Hasek was one of the great road hockey goalies in the history of the game.”
Dominik Hasek
“The 1998 Olympics in Nagano. I was the first guy to shoot [on Hasek in the semifinal shootout between the Czechs and Canadians]. I always think back to what would’ve happened if I scored… But he was one of the great road hockey goalies in the history of the game. He was. He could out-guess you. That’s what made him great. And he never quit on any puck, any save. A try guy. Strange guy.”
Mike Modano
“I played against him in junior. He was in Prince Albert; I was in Moose Jaw. He was a rookie in my third year. Played against him for two years. Just pure speed. Pure speed. He could fly. He was a great player because he was a big guy that could really skate. Like a Jean Beliveau type of player.”