Marc-Andre Fleury Looking Forward to His Return to Pittsburgh One Last Time
Photo credit: HTR
Former Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is prepared to skate around the facility he helped construct one final time.
The Minnesota Wild will play the reeling Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night, marking the veteran goalie's final start of his career.
"Bienvenue, Marc-Andre!" was written on a sign when Marc-Andre Fleury made his NHL debut with the Penguins. Before leaving for Vegas in the expansion draft, Fleury played his first 13 seasons with the Penguins, where he helped fellow franchise mainstays Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby win the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016, and 2017.
Now, it's time for Penguins supporters to bid farewell to the greatest goalie in the team's history, one of the greatest to have ever played the position, and a wonderful person who is adored throughout the city, as Fleury is scheduled to play his final game in Pittsburgh on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena.
«I mean, what's not to love? That's the question, honestly,» Kris Letang said. «Just his personality, there's not a mean bone in his body. He comes to the rink with a big smile on his face. He plays the game with a big smile. He's a great teammate, obviously. So, it's hard not to love a guy like that."
«Especially when he came in as an 18-year-old, first overall pick, tons of pressure. But he comes to the rink with the same mindset, same mentality, battles hard, and he does it with a smile.»
«Especially when he came in as an 18-year-old, first overall pick, tons of pressure. But he comes to the rink with the same mindset, same mentality, battles hard, and he does it with a smile.»
When discussing the upcoming evening and thinking back on his 13 seasons of wearing black and gold, Fleury's smile still hasn't gone away.
«I feel like sometimes, growing older, I get a little softer than I used to with emotions, it feels like,» Fleury said with a laugh after the Minnesota Wild practiced in Cranberry on Monday. «So, I think maybe deep breath, look around, take a good look around. Good memories. I was very fortunate to play here for so long. A lot of good souvenirs from this place. It will be nice to do it one more time.»
The 39-year-old made it clear that the 2024-25 season, his 21st in the NHL, would be his final one when he agreed to a one-year extension in the summer. Fleury stated that he didn't want any special treatment and that all he wanted to do was drive down memory lane in silence while thinking back on some of his favorite memories at each stop. Fleury said he felt fortunate to have some extra time to stroll around the area he used to call home and see some old friends when Minnesota arrived in town on Saturday night after playing Philadelphia that afternoon.
«He's a great friend, and someone that I shared a lot of great times with,» Sidney Crosby said. «Been through a lot of adversity, too, basically growing up together in the league and trying to find our way. He means a lot to me, means a lot to the organization and I'm sure the fans.»
«I feel lucky I was part of it. Feel fortunate I got to live it, right, to learn the hard way with all those losses and the hard times,» Fleury said. «Obviously, I had nothing to do with the business side of it, the way that Mario (Lemieux) and Ron (Burkle) I think handled things and were able to turn it around. So many guys came in and were part of turning the team around a bit. We had good veterans to help us out. So, it meant a lot, going to the finals and winning that one in '09. Because we started from just being young guys and losing a lot to becoming a good team and finding a way to win.»
«Sometimes I've had tough times, and I feel like the crowd was there for me trying to cheer me on, to keep going, keep pushing, getting better people were still behind me and helping me out through it," Fleury said. "Our building was full for (so) many years. People came to the games, cheered us on.»
With his wife Veronique and their three kids-son James, daughters Estelle and Scarlett-he is eager to enjoy that ambiance one last time. The girls were born in Pittsburgh, but according to Marc-Andre, they haven't had the opportunity to visit the city yet. Marc-Andre believes the children will be able to understand the significance of the evening now that they are older.
With the franchise records in wins (375), games played (667), shutouts (44), playoff wins (62), playoff games (115), and playoff shutouts (10), Fleury completely changed the team's goalie record books. Fleury also displayed incredible poise when dealing with difficult circumstances, such as sharing the net with Matt Murray during the championship runs in 2016 and 2017. Fleury benefited from the support of the Penguins supporters during those hardships.
| POLL | ||
29 OCTOBRE | 70 ANSWERS Marc-Andre Fleury Looking Forward to His Return to Pittsburgh One Last Time Will you be in tears watching Marc-Andre Fleury playing in Pittsburgh for the last time ever. | ||
| Yes | 36 | 51.4 % |
| No | 34 | 48.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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