Kerry Fraser recalls how Theo Fleury once challenged him to a parking lot fight

Theo skates over to me and says, “You little sbag ahole. Come outside to the parking lot after the game. I’ll kill you.”

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Published 5 years ago
Kerry Fraser recalls how Theo Fleury once challenged him to a parking lot fight
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Former National Hockey League referee Kerry Fraser has his share of stories when it comes to what was said on the ice and by who in his long career wearing stripes. In his latest text shared on the Players' Tribune, Fraser recalls one story he shared with beloved gritty player Theo Fleury. As one of the most fearless enforcers in the NHL, Fleury would take on just about anyone back in the day, and it included an NHL referee. 

Fraser told a story in The Player’s Tribune of a time that his relationship with Fleury peaked as the former Calgary Flames pest challenged him to a fight. The following is an excerpt from The Player’s Tribune:

Theo Fleury challenged me to a fight in the parking lot of the United Center. I remember it like it was yesterday, even though it was 20 years ago. It was the first round of the ’96 playoffs. Chicago vs. Calgary. Game 1.
Theo reminded me of me, actually. Small guy, gritty player, played with a lot of anger. But there was also this nasty edge to him in the way he dealt with authority figures. Let’s just say our relationship wasn’t the best. So during Game 1, I called a retaliation penalty on him. It was just a normal call, but for some reason, Theo went absolutely nuts.
Theo skates over to me and says, “You little sbag ahole. Come outside to the parking lot after the game. I’ll kill you.”
But then he threw his helmet off like he was about to drop the gloves, and it hit my right skate. I felt that rush of adrenaline go through my body. The only other time I felt like hitting a player was when a tough guy named Lynn Margarit of the Muskegon Mohawks spat directly in my mouth when we were arguing a penalty in 1979.

It sure sounds like Fleury back then... Do not worry about the fight picking back up again: the two men have a pretty good relationship noon, especially when Fraser came to the defense of Fleury four years after the incident when his past problems with drugs and alcohol were brought up.

At the very end of the first period, Theo had gotten into a scrum with Blues tough guy Tyson Nash, and words were exchanged. Theo skated up to me after everything got broken up, and he was very emotional. You almost never see guys get emotional on the ice, but this was different.
“Kerry, he was talking about my drug problems,” Theo said. “He can’t talk to me like that. I’m really trying to clean up my life, Kerry. Honestly.”
He told me he hadn’t had a drink in X days, hadn’t done drugs in X days. I could tell that he was sincerely wounded. In that moment, I didn’t see the guy who threw his helmet at me and called me every name in the book over the years. I just saw a human being who was in a lot of pain, and I wanted to take his pain away.

Fraser ended up settling the dispute with an apology, one that came sincerely from Nash. 

Always great to hear the stories from Fraser, who has a total refreshing perspective on the game and what happens on the ice.