Theo Fleury Supports Tkachuk's Elbowing of Doughty: 'I Love It'

Former Calgary Flames star Theo Fleury must see a bit of himself in Matthew Tkachuk.

The 19-year-old rookie had Drew Doughty calling him a 'dirty player' after Tkachuk delivered an elbow to the face of the Kings defenceman earlier this week and, on Tuesday, the Flames rookie received a two-game suspension for the hit.

Opinions around the league varied surrounding the incident, with many finding the play unwarranted and dirty, while others respected the aggression Tkachuk showed in trying to create space for himself as games get tighter down the stretch. Fleury, Calgary's second-leading all-time scorer, is clearly on the side of the latter.

"I love it," Fleury said of the incident to Sportsnet's Mark Spector.

"He's smart—he sent a message to the entire league. Yeah, it cost him two games, but I'm sure it will benefit him down the road. The more room you get on the ice, the more you have to do the things you do best. By creating some unpredictability, you get more room."

Of course, Fleury played in an era where Tkachuk's elbow likely wouldn't even have been called a penalty, let alone warrant a suspension. The NHL was a much more vicious, scary game in the '80s and into the 1990s, and Fleury admitted that the borderline dirty style of play which made him so successful as an undersized forward in the league wouldn't work so well in the game today.

"I would be broke making $8 million a year if I were playing in the league now. I'd be suspended all the time," he said.

Fleury, whose 364 goals and 830 points each ranks second behind only Jarome Iginla on the Flames' all-time scoring list, feels that fellow undersized but uber-skilled forward Johnny Gaudreau can take a page out of Tkachuk's book to help him create more room for himself in a league that no longer allows bigger, tougher linemates to create space for you.

"Johnny can be neutralized because of his size. If he were a little meaner with his stick and elbows, he might get a little more room out there."

Tkachuk is certainly making his own room, and (most) players will be thinking twice next time they try to line him up—meaning a two-game suspension now will almost surely pay huge dividends in open-ice currency throughout the rest of the season, if not the rest of his career.

Though Tkachuk's polarizing style of play won't be garnering him much extra support or encouragement outside the city of Calgary, it's safe to say he's got a huge fan in Fleury.