Marc-Andre Fleury Looking Forward to His Return to Pittsburgh One Last Time
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.
«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.
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.
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 | ||
OCTOBRE 29 | 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 | ||
