Theo Fleury and The Death Valley Rebels

“My life is a country song.” When Theo Fleury says that, it’s hard to argue. From his small-town upbringing to the heights of hockey glory, the Canadian icon’s 47 years come packed with enough triumph and tragedy to inspire not just a single song, but an entire album.

The NHL superstar, Olympic gold medal winner, best-selling author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur is tackling a new game: Country singer-songwriter. “We wanted this to be a real grassroots album – let’s get back to fiddles and steel guitars and accordions and honky-tonk pianos, but put our own stamp on it,” Fleury states about his first album, I Am

Who I Am. “We’re a bunch of guys who love that old-school country sound.”

It’s about more than just entertainment or nostalgia, however. For Fleury, it’s also about helping others by sharing his story. “The album is definitely dark,” he admits. “The songs are all about my life, my experience, my struggle. But they’re also about coming through that struggle. At the end of every song, there’s hope. That’s what the lyrics and music reflect: Hope and healing. If people listen to this and there’s a line or a word or a phrase that helps them get out of the situation they’re in or how they’re feeling, that’s really why we’re doing this. The message is that no matter how far we may fall, we can make it back.”

And turn it into a great country song! See Fleury and his band, the Death Valley Rebels, March 12.