Of all the films I watched this week, this is the one that bummed me out the most. Sure, it’s a sad story, but what got to me was that its subject was a man who I was such a fan of as a kid. Seeing him fall was hard enough. Learning why he fell was harder still. Seeing him try to put the pieces back together might be the hardest of all.

Theo Fleury’s career began with such promise. He was fast, feisty, and had the ability to rack up a lot of points. But as the years went on, his attitude on the ice seemed to change. By the time his career was beginning its final act, he was a story for what he was doing off the ice – not on it. His off-ice habits seemed to be defining him more than his athletic skill. He retired without fanfare in 2003. By 2009, Fleury was ready to tell his story – and nobody could have anticipated what was coming. Along with frankly discussing all of his substance abuse problems, he alleged that he had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of his minor hockey coach, Graham James.

While this doc is a little rough technically – it’s very clearly made for TV – it’s an emotional watch, especially for hockey fans. Fleury has reached a stage in his life where he is a beacon for those who have suffered sexual abuse. We watch as complete strangers approach him at speaking engagements and feel as though they can open up to him. Fleury seems uneasy with his new role when talking to the media is concerned, but clearly wants to be there for others who have been through what he has.

He also speaks quite candidly about what was happening off-ice during those tumultuous final five seasons. He details alcohol and drug abuse that could very well have cost him his life, he talks about spending night after night in one of New York’s most prominent strip clubs, and explains how easy it was to burn through massive amounts of money. He doesn’t have these conversations to shock us, nor to find attrition. He wants us to know this was happening, and that at any moment it could be happening to many other pro athletes.

What’s saddest and most revealing about PLAYING WITH FIRE is what happens when the film moves to New York City and Chicago – the final two stops in Fleury’s NHL career. It’s clear that for those still working in those organizations, Fleury’s choices while under their employ is still a raw nerve. He might be contrite and repentant for his choices ten years ago…but that doesn’t mean that everybody is ready to forgive him.

It’s a sad state of affairs for such a gifted player.

After watching PLAYING WITH FIRE, It’s difficult to say how Theo Fleury’s life went the way it did. One could say that the struggle to overcome the abuse he suffered was what threw him off the rails later in life. One could even go back further and point out that since he came from a family of addiction, that much of this was in his DNA from the start. It leaves us with more questions than answers, including what the future holds for Theo Fleury.

THEO FLEURY: PLAYING WITH FIRE plays once more on Sunday May 6th – 6:30pm at The Cumberland.