Respect, Safety, and... Heroes?
What makes a professional athlete a hero to kids? Is it the ability to skate fast, score goals, make great passes or saves? What about what they do off the ice and in their communities?
When Theoren Fleury played in the NHL, I didn't think much about him except that he was small, tough, fast, and he could score. I paid very little attention to him throughout his career. So why do I wear his jersey at hockey practice now?
Respect
Sheldon Kennedy played in the NHL at the same time as Fleury, and he was pretty insignificant. After his career was over, he wrote a book, "Why I Didn't Say Anything". Sometime when you're in high school, read it. He became much more famous because of it.
Theoren Fleury wrote a book a few years later, "Playing With Fire", then another book a few years later, "Conversations With A Rattlesnake". Sometime when you're in high school, read these books.
In their books, both players talk about all the problems they had as teenagers and young adults, with alcohol, drugs, and all kinds of abuse.
The thing about Kennedy and Fleury is, they played on the same WHL junior team, the Moose Jaw Warriors, in the mid-late 1980s. Their coach was Graham James. James was considered a brilliant hockey coach. He was also the worst coach in Canadian (if not the world) hockey history because he was extremely controlling and abusive of some players, including Kennedy and Fleury. He spent a few years in jail for it. You'll read about him in those books.
Kennedy created a foundation that created the Respect In Sport program. Every player in GMHA must have at least 1 parent complete the RiS program before you can play hockey. Coaches have to complete a second part of the program. This program talks about player safety from bullying and all kinds of abuse.
Fleury created a program called "Victor Walk", and now he goes around North America speaking to survivors of abuse, people with addiction and mental health problems (due to abuse), and people who help people with these things.
These men have done incredible work making a real difference in the lives of many people. I heard Fleury speak and I met him afterwards. He gives hope to people who have little hope, or less. It's for these reasons why my kids each have a personally-autographed photo of him in their bedroom, and why I wear his jersey to show my respect and admiration.
http://respectgroupinc.com
https://victorwalk.com
https://www.theofleury.life