Shortly after signing a one-year contract extension this past April, Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury announced that he intends to retire after the 2024-25 season, marking the end of a 21-season NHL career.

Drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003, Fleury spent 13 seasons in Pittsburgh, where he won the Stanley Cup three times. He will make his final appearance in the city he once called home on Tuesday night, as the Wild face the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.

And ahead of the matchup, Fleury took time to reflect on the cherished memories that he has while playing in Pittsburgh, via The Star Tribune.

“I have so many great memories from playing there, from teammates, from fans, from the organization, from games,” Fleury said. “When you see those memories again, definitely triggers some emotion.”

Fleury also reflected on his first NHL game in October of 2003 in which he initially forgot his stick while heading onto the ice for pre-game warmups, while also denying Zigmund Palffy on a breakaway along with stopping a penalty shot from Eric Belanger.

“I poke-checked,” Fleury said. “So, that was very fun. It was like 46 saves, and the welcome from the fans, too, the cheers, the signs, yeah, that was very special.”

Fleury also indicated that while Tuesday's game will be special, he wants to help his Wild teammates earn two points in the standings.

“I want to be helpful,” he said. “I want to help the team, and I want to be good. It’s my last one. I don’t want to just fizzle.”

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The Wild and Penguins will face off from PPG Paints Arena starting at 7:00 PM EST.

Marc-Andre Fleury remains a beloved former Penguins goaltender 

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against the Seattle Kraken in the second period at Xcel Energy Center.
Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

Fleury remains a beloved former Penguin, having backstopped the team to the 2009 Stanley Cup, highlighted by his iconic last-second save on Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom in the final moments of Game Seven in Detroit.

He's also still adored in Las Vegas, where he was the first official player selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 Expansion Draft. He's also briefly played for the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to the Wild in 2022.

Fleury owns a career record of 562-330-95 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage with 75 shutouts.