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The Minnesota Wild lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Late in the series, Marc-Andre Fleury played in his final NHL game for the Wild. He made his retirement official on Monday, hanging up the pads after 21 NHL seasons. But then, Fleury gave his fans one final chance to watch him between the pipes. According to his agent Allan Walsh, he is playing for Team Canada in the World Championships this spring.
“Breaking News: Marc-Andre Fleury has accepted an invitation to go play for Team Canada at the World Championships,” Walsh posted on social media.
The World Championships are held annually during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The teams are usually comprised of NHL players whose teams have been eliminated from the playoffs or missed entirely. That includes Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who was Fleury's teammate for 12 seasons in Pittsburgh.
This will be the first time Fleury plays for Team Canada in the World Championships. Considering he spent the first decade of his career playing for Stanley Cups, it makes a lot of sense. The Wild missed the playoffs last year, but the veteran Fleury did not play. Now, he'll get to play his final professional game behind Crosby once again.
Nathan MacKinnon has also committed to playing for Team Canada at the World Championships. His Avalanche lost in Game 7 to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. No other members of the Wild have joined the World Championships yet. But considering the tournament is in Sweden and Denmark, don't be surprised if Joel Eriksson Ek joins Team Sweden.
The Wild will not have Marc-Andre Fleury next year, but Team Canada will have a national legend in the net at the World Championships. Their first game is on Saturday against Slovakia.
