Why Theo Fleury's comeback is the story of the preseason

Theo Fleury(notes) has always been a guy who's easy to root for. Despite his 5-foot-6 frame, Fleury made himself into a tremendous hockey player; one who, when he left the NHL after the 2002-03 season at age 35, was just 45 goals away from 500.With his past demons seemingly behind him -- even with his comeback likely being financially motivated -- Fleury's goal to suit up again in the National Hockey League on a full-time basis is edging closer to coming to fruition.While everyone focused on the fact that New York Islanders forward Kyle Okposo(notes) was knocked silly by Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf(notes) last Thursday night, what's being forgotten is that Fleury scored the winning goal in the shootout. Sure, it was a meaningless preseason tilt, but it was just another example of how Flames fans are, as the Calgary Herald's George Johnson put it, being seduced by Fleury all over again, each and every time he's on the ice. A tireless worker throughout his caree...