Theo Fleury -- Taking it one day at a time

He's in his 13th year of playing hockey. Most of his 13 years were spent on the Calgary Flames, where he was "Super Pest Numero Uno" in the NHL.

For the last two years he's taken his act to Broadway, where he's been in a starring role as a right winger for the New York Rangers.

Theo Fleury is a fan favorite in the "Big Apple," not because the Rangers have won a Stanley Cup every year -- they haven't won one since 1994 -- but because the 5'6" bundle of energy plays the game of hockey as though it's his last day on earth.

That's no exaggeration as Fleury suffers from Crohn's Disease, which is a digestive disorder.

But it wasn't Fleury's medical condition that made him leave the Rangers last February. It was substance abuse.

He struggled for years with his addiction, and really never told anyone about it, not even close friends, teammates, or even his wife. Finally that little voice inside told him enough was enough. Go get some help and get it now.

After six months of rehab, he claims he's doing fine, but he's not kidding himself. He knows he could wind up back in rehab again.

He's not only concentrating on joining the Rangers again, but he's looking forward to skating for Canada in the Winter Olympics come February 2002.

He's taking the approach to hockey the same way he is to life -- one day at a time.