By Ellyn Winters-Robinson
What do great hockey players and entrepreneurs have in common?
Good values, hard work, and a determination to be the best you can be, says Stanley Cup winner and Olympic Gold Medalist Theo Fleury.
Fleury spoke to a captive crowd of fans, startup executives and students who gathered at the Accelerator Centre to meet and learn at the hand of an NHL legend. Fleury’s visit to the AC was coordinated by AC startup MyProHero, a company that offers young and up and coming players the opportunity connect online for virtual coaching delivered by former NHLers.
Fleury was himself starstruck by the incubator’s graduate wall and startup clients. “I’m a huge tech geek myself and here I am standing in Canada’s tech heartland. It is amazing to be among such smart people,” he said.
During his remarks, Fleury reflected on his career in the NHL and his experience winning Gold for Canada the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic games — Canada’s first gold in hockey in 52 years — playing along fellow legends such as Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman. “I have to admit, I looked to my left, looked to my right and couldn’t believe I was there amongst these players. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and something I could never even have dreamed of playing road hockey as a kid in Saskatchewan.”
Now a celebrated author, Theo Fleury brings his motivational coaching and candid outlook on life’s challenges to thousands of players, parents and other members of the hockey community every year. His best selling autobiography Playing with Fire, documents the star’s struggles with drug and alcohol addictions and survival after childhood trauma.
Fleury will use the MyProHero platform to deliver his motivational coaching to an even wider audience. To learn more about the MyProHero platform and it’s amazing coaching roster including Theo Fleury, six time Stanley Cup winner Bryan Trottier, Hall of Fame inductee Adam Oates and others, check out www.myprohero.com