RealGM

It's a slow time of the year and this is not NBA related, however I think it's worth talking about. I don't know what you guys think of Theo Fleury but it seems like a truly inspirational comeback by one of sports great characters.

This guys had lots of adversity in his life (much of it self inflicted and much of it not). At 41 years old he seems to be starting off his training camp with the Flames really well.

http://flames.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=498469

Not to derail this thread but I find it amazing how many players play so late into their 30/early 40s in the NHL. Whenever discussion comes up who are the best athletes, hockey players get mention, but honestly who athletic could they be, if you can play the game at high level in your 40s? This is not much better than baseball where you have players easily playing into their 40s.

knickerbocker2k2 wrote:Not to derail this thread but I find it amazing how many players play so late into their 30/early 40s in the NHL. Whenever discussion comes up who are the best athletes, hockey players get mention, but honestly who athletic could they be, if you can play the game at high level in your 40s? This is not much better than baseball where you have players easily playing into their 40s.

Hate to break it to you, but this is exactly what you've done. There are enough puckheads around here that someone'll want to start a flamewar.

knickerbocker2k2 wrote:Not to derail this thread but I find it amazing how many players play so late into their 30/early 40s in the NHL. Whenever discussion comes up who are the best athletes, hockey players get mention, but honestly who athletic could they be, if you can play the game at high level in your 40s? This is not much better than baseball where you have players easily playing into their 40s.

Yeah I thought the same thing when reading about Theo.. I think it's a lot to do with experience and knowing all the angles and where to be at the right time in hockey. If you know how to use your head better than a guy 10 years younger than you, you're pretty much equal on the ice. Kind of the same in basketball with big men (see: Rasho, Charles Oakley). Hockey also has more players on a team so older guys can more easily find a leadership role on the third or fourth line.

With short shifts and changing on the fly, older guys can still get it done in bursts. In the NHL you can play 13 minutes a night and be relevant. Not sure that's true in any other sport.

Who is Theo Fleury and what is an NHL?

Was at the preseason game where he scored in the shootout. He really didnt play all that well. Good moment for him to get back on the ice as a sober person, have the crowd chant his name, and hit the winner in the shootout. . . .but he was clearly out of place out there. Not a pro player anymore for sure. That time has passed