himself that he could still play at the NHL level, though his skeptics pointed to his child support payments and the failure of his concrete business, as well as the planned release of his autobiography, and argued Fleury's comeback was financially motivated. He made his return to the NHL in an exhibition game in Calgary against the New York Islanders on September 17 on a line with Daymond Langkow and Nigel Dawes. Fleury was met with loud cheers throughout the game, and scored the only goal in a shootout to give the Flames a 5–4 win. After the game, he saluted the crowd as the fans chanted "Theo! Theo! Theo!" Three nights later, he scored a goal and an assist in a 5–2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Fleury played four exhibition games, scoring four points, before being released by the Flames. General Manager Darryl Sutter expressed his pride in Fleury's attempt and commended his effort, but decided he was not one of the top six wingers in camp, which Sutter and Fleury had agreed was a condition of the tryout continuing. On September 28, 2009, Fleury announced his retirement at a news conference at the Saddledome. He thanked the Flames for allowing him to attempt the comeback, and expressed satisfaction at how his career ended. "I get to retire a Calgary Flame. I HAD to retire a Calgary Flame. It’s been a long journey. It’s time to put down some roots. And there’s no better place than here," said Fleury of his decision not to seek an offer from another team. International Fleury made his debut with the Canadian senior team at the 1990 Ice Hockey World Championships, scoring 11 points in nine games for the fourth-place Canadians. He returned the following year despite a knee injury, helping Canada win the silver medal at the 1991 tournament. His 51-goal NHL season in 1990–91 also earned Fleury a spot at the 1991 Canada Cup, where he scored a goal and four assists in seven games for the tournament champion Canadians. Five years later, he played in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, the successor to the Canada Cup. He finished fourth in the tournament with four goals, but Canada finished in second place after giving up four goals in the final four minutes of the championship game against the American team. National Hockey League players were first allowed to participate