So typical of the Gazette, so classless.  Sportswriters there have no shame, so quick to judge others, so unwilling to question themselves.  Hickey, Boone, Todd, Stubbs, all general a@#holes.

Posted by Harrald The Red on 10/16/09 at 12:44 PM ET

From Puck Daddy:

“Not long after Fleury announced his retirement on September 28th, the revelations from his book, “Playing With Fire”, began coming out. The biggest revelation was that disgraced coach Graham James had sexually abused Fleury during his junior hockey days. It was the sexual abuse at the hands of James, Fleury says in the book, which led to his substance abuse later in life.

At that point in my life I was so not ready to be able to deal with that.” ”

Great effort and insight Pat Hickey put into his article.

Posted by Nathan from BC on 10/16/09 at 01:08 PM ET

But Fleury would have commanded a lot more respect if he stepped forward in 1996 when former teammate Sheldon Kennedy was the first player to blow the whistle on James’s predatory behaviour.

If he had come forward then, Fleury might not have seen his career dissolve in a haze of alcohol, drugs and other destructive behaviour.

Yeah, because we all know Sheldon Kennedy was able to just breeze through life and have an HOF career after he came forward. Give. Me. A. Break. Each of James’ victims did what he thought he had to do in order to survive on a day-to-day and minute-by-minute basis. There are probably even more out there still living in tortured silence.

Fleury also has to answer for placing other youngsters in harm’s way. In 1994, he became a part-owner of the Calgary Hitmen and brought James into the operation as a co-owner, coach and general manager. James continued in that role for two years before Kennedy and another anonymous former player came forward.

I might almost agree with this point if we hadn’t seen again and again how sexual predators—and especially child molesters—often seem to maintain a strong emotional hold on their victims in spite of the harm they’ve done them. Knowing what we know now about James, it was obviously a horrible decision. But while it’s easy for us to sit back and see the error of Fleury’s ways, it’s not so easy to put ourselves inside his head, in 1994 or now. Who knows...maybe Fleury thought he would be able to keep tabs on James and protect other kids if he worked for him. Maybe James blackmailed him. Maybe he was just bat shit crazy with fear that people might somehow figure it out if he didn’t fully endorse his “mentor.” Whatever the reasons, I seriously doubt that Fleury was thinking rationally about anything at that point in his life.

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 10/16/09 at 01:31 PM ET

So why not come out with it now, and leave a book deal until later?

Posted by Primis on 10/16/09 at 02:03 PM ET

Two reasons for a book:
1) Fleury says that he has blown through most of the money he made in the NHL
2) A book gets the story out there, and also offers help to others who might have experienced this,

Posted by Harrald the Red on 10/16/09 at 03:40 PM ET

What as ass.

Those who have been abused make their way through life as best they can - there is no ONE “right way” or “right time” to open up and give voice to all the terrors and nightmares that a person has tried to forget or just put behind them so they could move on.

He shows a lot of courage going public at all, regardless of timing or of book deals or anything else.  Many victims of sexual abuse never really deal with it and go through whatever remains of their life in pain and heartbreak with no support or help from anyone.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/16/09 at 07:49 PM ET

i think if you look from a hockey stand point, i think fleury wanted to make the NHL without sympathy, he wanted to earn it in spite of all the baggage he had (we all have baggage, some more than others)

Posted by damji on 10/16/09 at 09:52 PM ET