Reports out of Calgary earlier this afternoon are saying that the Flames have released Theoren Fleury after the 41-year-old tried to crack the team's regular season lineup in training camp.
After his performance in camp, in which he scored in a shootout and added four points in four games, some felt that Fleury might have a shot at the Flames lineup.
However, clearly his performance in the preseason wasn't enough to impress Calgary Flames general manager Daryl Sutter.
"I believe Theoren did a great job and should be proud, especially considering all the factors including age, time away from the game, and lifestyle change," Sutter said in a statement. "This is not a hockey story; it's a life story. Our agreement with Theoren was that he had to be one of our top six wingers and there were never any intentions of assigning him to the American Hockey League."
At this point Fleury hasn't made any statements except for saying that he wanted to spend the weekend with his wife to assess the situation and where to go from here.
While some were impressed by Fleury's preseason performance, others simply felt Fleury wasn't good enough. On Hockey Central at noon (a Toronto radio show on the Fan 590) analyst Nick Kypreos said that Fleury simply wasn't good enough to crack a top six forward spot in Calgary and at his age his legs wouldn't be able to keep up.
And at 5'6", 180 pounds, Fleury doesn't quite have the body type to be a third- or fourth-line checker, either.
The idea of Fleury making a comeback first came to light earlier in the summer, and, being his former team, the Flames gave him a chance.
So the Fleury comeback story is put on hold for now, and only time will tell if another NHL team will give him a shot.
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