Playing With Fire

In Playing With Fire, Theo Fleury takes us behind the bench during his glorious days as an NHL player, and talks about growing up devastatingly poor and in chaos at home. Dark personal issues began to surface, and drinking, drugs, gambling, and girls ultimately derailed a career that had him destined for the Hall of Fame. Fleury shares all in this raw, captivating, and honest look at the previously untold story of one the game’s greatest heroes.

ESPN, SI rave over Theo Fleury's "Playing With Fire"
Sports Illustrated called Theo Fleury's PLAYING WITH FIRE a "must read" (Oct. 19, 2009) and they aren't the only national media outlet that is raving about Fleury's book. ESPN's in-depth investigation show "E60" featured PLAYING WITH FIRE and spoke with Fleury on Oct. 27 about his battles with drugs, alcohol and the various demons from his childhood that add up to what is one of the most explosive and candid revelations ever from an international celebrity athlete.

LIGHTING UP THE KINDLE
Theo Fleury's autobiography PLAYING WITH FIRE is the first Triumph Books title to be available for the Kindle at Amazon.com. Dozens of other Triumph titles will be available soon for Kindle users. By late spring, users of any eReader will be able to buy digital versions of Triumph titles directly through our website. There will be more information on Triumph eBooks in next month's newsletter, but until then hockey fans have a captivating story in PLAYING WITH FIRE to download and read on their Kindle.

Playing With Fire Press Release

 

Standing just 5'6", Theo Fleury made a name for himself in a game played by giants. With a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal, and multiple All-Star appearances to his name, his exploits on the ice proved legendary in Calgary Flames and NHL lore. Yet, his hockey career is only a small part of an incredible lifestory.

 

Playing With Fire follows Theo Fleury's career from his glory days to his battles with addiction, marital breakups, brushes with the law, and a suicidal night of drinking, when he stared down the barrel of a loaded gun. From his nightmare childhood to his dysfunctional adulthood, Fleury leaves no stone unturned.

 

On the ice, Fleury could be brilliant. But away from the rink his life was defined by wild cocaine-fueled binges, failed drug tests, and futile stints in rehab, and the NHL finally threw him out. This dizzying journey includes:

 

• Sexual abuse as a youth by his Junior coach, which lead to his drug and alcohol addictions
• The highs of his hockey triumphs, from his early days on the ice to his time representing his country at the Olympics
• The lows of his substance abuse, as well as his costly run-ins with gambling and strippers

 

Some nights he would drop several hundred thousand dollars in only a few hours. Other nights he would booze until dawn on the backstreets with the homeless. And yet despite these demons, he managed an iconic, although ultimately prematurely derailed hockey career. Playing With Fire combines all of these elements for a raw, captivating, and honest look at the previously untold story of one of the game's greatest characters.

 

About the Authors:
Theoren "Theo" Fleury won a World Junior title, a Turner Cup, a Stanley Cup as a rookie with the Calgary Flames, and later a Canada Cup and an Olympic gold medal. A former player with the Colorado Avalanche, the New York Rangers, and the Chicago Blackhawks, he now lives in Calgary, where he is a motivational speaker and businessman.

Kirstie McLellan Day was born in Saskatchewan, attended the University of Regina, and studied broadcast journalism in Calgary. Her screenplays and books include the true-crime novel No Remorse: A Father's Murderous Rage; Under the Mat (the Diana Hart story); and Above and Beyond, a biography of cable magnate J.R. Shaw. She writes two weekly entertainment columns for the Calgary Herald. McLellan Day is a mother of five and the CEO of a film and television company, Pyramid Productions Inc.

 

CONTACT: Josh Williams, Triumph Books, 312.252.1261, j.williams@triumphbooks.com

 

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