Playing with Fire (Autobiography)
Encyclopedia
Playing with Fire is the best selling autobiography
of former National Hockey League
(NHL) player Theoren Fleury
. Co-written with author Kirstie McLellan Day, Fleury documented how he became a star player, Stanley Cup
champion and Olympic
gold medalist despite battling drug and alcohol addictions that ultimately ended his NHL career and led him to contemplate suicide. In the book, he made allegations that he was sexually abused by his junior
coach, Graham James, and subsequently filed a complaint with Winnipeg Police Service
. Playing with Fire was a 2010 Libris Award nominee for top non-fiction book of 2010 by the Canadian Booksellers Association.
In the weeks prior to the book's October 16, 2009 release, Fleury attempted to return to the NHL with the team he first played for, the Calgary Flames
, six years after his last NHL game. Some observers praised him as a role model for his attempt, while others criticized it as being a publicity stunt to help generate interest in the book. He appeared in several exhibition games with the Flames, but was released and subsequently chose to retire from hockey. Riding a wave of popularity from his comeback attempt, Playing with Fire became the top-selling non-fiction book on Amazon.ca
within two weeks of its release. Supported by an extensive promotional tour across Canada, Playing with Fire sold over 80,000 copies within six weeks of its release.
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
of former National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) player Theoren Fleury
Theoren Fleury
Theoren Wallace "Theo" Fleury is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League , Tappara of Finland's SM-liiga, and the Belfast Giants of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League...
. Co-written with author Kirstie McLellan Day, Fleury documented how he became a star player, Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
champion and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medalist despite battling drug and alcohol addictions that ultimately ended his NHL career and led him to contemplate suicide. In the book, he made allegations that he was sexually abused by his junior
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
coach, Graham James, and subsequently filed a complaint with Winnipeg Police Service
Winnipeg Police Service
The Winnipeg Police Service is the police force of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.-History:When Winnipeg became a city in 1873, an election was held to select the city's new Mayor and Aldermen. Those appointed decided to hire city officials, including a Chief Constable. On February 23,...
. Playing with Fire was a 2010 Libris Award nominee for top non-fiction book of 2010 by the Canadian Booksellers Association.
In the weeks prior to the book's October 16, 2009 release, Fleury attempted to return to the NHL with the team he first played for, the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
, six years after his last NHL game. Some observers praised him as a role model for his attempt, while others criticized it as being a publicity stunt to help generate interest in the book. He appeared in several exhibition games with the Flames, but was released and subsequently chose to retire from hockey. Riding a wave of popularity from his comeback attempt, Playing with Fire became the top-selling non-fiction book on Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
within two weeks of its release. Supported by an extensive promotional tour across Canada, Playing with Fire sold over 80,000 copies within six weeks of its release.