I have to admit, when I first heard former NHL sniper/pest Theo Fleury was looking to make a comeback, I just shook my head. After all, the now-41-year-old Fleury hadn't played in the NHL since April 2003. That's six years ago!
Now, however, Fleury seems to be turning a few heads. Ex-Flames GM/NHL Network analyst Craig Button, for example, was pleasantly surprised watching Fleury in a recent preseason game against the Canucks.
To read Button's thoughts on Fleury and why the veteran may end up in the NHL on a team other than the Flames, you must be an Insider.
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E.J. Hradek
Senior Writer, ESPN The MagazineABOUT THIS BLOG
E.J. Hradek
E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989. The following year, he beat the Stars to Dallas (by three years), taking over as the editor of Beckett Hockey Monthly. When the Stars finally did arrive in Big D, he hosted a weekly hockey radio show and tried (unsuccessfully) to convert ESPN's Skip Bayless to the greatest game on ice.
In 1996, Hradek left Dallas, but not the Stars. Relocating back to the New York area, he became a part-time pro scout for the club, seeing more than 100 NHL/AHL games for each of the next two seasons. The scouting gig was a great learning experience, offering a different view of the game.
Hradek grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., about a 40-minute train ride from New York City. Despite the proximity to the Rangers, Hradek embraced the Islanders when the expansion franchise debuted in 1972. Eight years later, he was part of the sellout crowd at the Nassau Coliseum that witnessed the Islanders' first Stanley Cup championship.
