Theo Fleury is a player that is endeared in many hockey hearts. Some still feel nostalgia thinking of his famous celebration, sliding across the ice on both knees, but that’s not necessarily why fans love him.

His grit was almost unmatched, and the chip on his shoulder was larger than him. After all, Fleury only stood 5’6. Despite his shorter stature, Fleury would take on just about anyone, and even the bigger guys knew that they couldn’t get a free shot on him just because they were taller.

For a true indication on Theo Fleury’s known grit, just take it from someone who had to deal with a lot of it – an NHL referee.

Sarnia native and longtime referee Kerry Fraser told a story in The Player’s Tribune of a time that his relationship with Fleury peaked. Not in a friendly way, either. Apparently Theo actually challenged Fraser 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 s***bag a**hole. 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.

Yup, that sounds like Fleury. Fraser goes on to explain that their relationship was actually pretty good after that, and four years later he even went to bat for Fleury after 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. Getting a referee’s perspective is not something we have the luxury of very often, but it gives us a glimpse into what it’s like to be striped in black and white on the ice.

The full article touches on other moments and memories as well, but none quite as emotional as his relationship with Theo Fleury.

(H/T The Player’s Tribune)