Even Theo Fleury acknowledges the lack of certainty inherent in an alcoholic's life. It is a fight-it-every-day proposition, from the first second to the last.

So as the diminutive right wing talked Friday of his signing with the Chicago Blackhawks from his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico -- once renowned as the turquoise jewelry capital of the world, but now also a favored celebrity retreat -- he frequently used the word "if."

"I know if I can keep my life off the ice solid, I know what I can do on the ice and I think that the Blackhawks also know what I can do on the ice," Fleury said on a conference call with North American media. "If my head is straight, I feel I'm one of the best players in the game."

He's right. But in relative terms, that's an "if" as big as his on-ice heart and spirit, if not his body. As Fleury, already in many ways a wreck of a person, dramatically deteriorated last season with the Rangers, making it obvious he hadn't dismissed his demons, it induced head-shaking disdain.

Most important, for all the rationalizations that can be drawn from his troubled youth, both in the game and away from it, he was letting himself down. You could keep going from there, of course, adding his teammates, his employers, the fans. But the guy in the mirror should have been the most disappointed, the most distraught, even the most derisive.

Now this 34-year-old has entered into what seems to be, even beyond the usual situation in sports, a relationship involving mutual need. For all the talk about Fleury seeking a situation that could be a good fit both personally and professionally, and of his reunion with former Flames coach Brian Sutter, the fact is the Blackhawks' two-year, $8.5 million offer was by far the best he was going to get. Even Canadian Superpatriot Wayne Gretzky, the longtime Californian, couldn't sign off on offering more than a heavily backloaded $7.5 million, two-year deal -- with the second season at the Coyotes' option.

Mike Smith is a savvy, if stubborn, general manager who was as offended by Tony Amonte's view of his self-worth as the Wirtz ownership, so he can't -- and won't -- characterize Amonte's free-agent departure to the Coyotes as something completely out of his control.

And now, whether fair or not, the troubled Fleury will have his contributions -- and even his demeanor and citizenship -- compared to those of Amonte.

The Blackhawks made some strides toward winning back the Chicago fans last season, although they still weren't able to nurture the base by having their home games on television. Anyone with an appreciation of the game's traditions, who set foot in the Chicago Stadium, who felt the building shaking because of the organ music and the enthusiasm around the undersized rink, who still searches out the pictures of Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull and even Pit Martin, can't help but root for a renaissance of not so much the Blackhawks themselves, but that traditional enthusiasm for the sport in the nation's No. 2 city.

	“	I wear my heart on my sleeve and sometimes I do crazy things. I've had a pretty successful career being that way. Yeah, there are certain behavior things I have to change, but am I going to change my style? Absolutely not. ”
		— Theo Fleury

"I've always been fond of Chicago," Fleury said. "I've always loved playing in Chicago. I loved the enthusiasm of the fans. When I came in the league, the old Stadium was still around and there wasn't any better place to play than the old Chicago Stadium. To me, my fondest memory is the '89 (conference final) series against the 'Hawks the phenomenal atmosphere and the real passion the fans in Chicago have for not just the 'Hawks, but all their sports teams."

The hockey fans are out there in the Chicago area, whether they're 20-something professional folks who grew up playing the game in the suburbs and were kids when the Flames beat the Blackhawks in five games on the way to the 1989 Stanley Cup championship; or 60-something fans who feel as if they have to be won back -- especially at these prices. They're waiting, they're cynical, they're prone to denounce the Wirtz ownership -- but they eventually will come back. If they have a reason to.

And if -- there's that word again -- Fleury can put on that sweater that resonates history and play the sort of game that looks more like this heyday in Calgary than his meltdown in New York, he can be a hero.

Some would try to exploit his battle with the off-ice problems and dramatically portray him as a "hero" for overcoming them, but that's his business. We've had it up to here with those who believe an exit pass from rehab and a return to action -- whether that means an athlete returning to his sport or an actor returning to a sitcom -- is worthy of a rousing salute. No, the "heroic" standard here is more basic, more traditional: Theo Fleury can be just so darned fun to watch when his head is on straight. He can make his team better, he can aggravate the opposition, he can be electric, and he can make you grant him his due for overcoming and even taking advantage of his lack of stature.

So, absolutely, there is an upside for the Blackhawks in this, as risky as the signing is. Especially after Amonte's exit, Smith will look stupid if Fleury isn't up to the challenges -- which are myriad, and both professional and personal.

And when you get beyond all the baggage, there also is the very simple fact that Fleury is 34 years old and, as an undersized pain in the posterior, he has taken a beating on the ice for 14 years. So even if he manages to stay clean, there is the question of whether he is capable of the sort of performance the Blackhawks need from him.

"There's some people who have been working in Chicago a lot longer than I have who said they thought Theo Fleury was born to be a Blackhawk," said Smith, who was with Fleury in Santa Fe.

So as Fleury continues to be monitored in the rehabilitation process -- a process neither he nor the Blackhawks will discuss -- he will be attempting to prove his bizarre conduct with the Rangers last season won't be repeated.

"I'm a guy that wears my heart on my sleeve," Fleury said. "Some of the things I did last year were a bit out of character. I'm not going to change my style of game because of what happened last year. It was a certain amount of frustration and a certain amount of disappointment in my play at times.

"Like I said, I wear my heart on my sleeve and sometimes I do crazy things. I've had a pretty successful career, being that way. Yeah, there are certain behavior things I have to change, but am I going to change my style? Absolutely not."

Fleury added, "We all have baggage and we all carry around stuff around from the past. I think I'm taking the right step in dealing with this thing head-on."

Terry Frei is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. His book, "Horns, Hogs, and Nixon Coming," will be published by Simon and Schuster in December.