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Marc-Andre Fleury played the last game of his Hall of Fame career at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night, and the beloved goaltender came out with a victory. The Minnesota Wild beat Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 in front of a sold out crowd, with ‘Flower' making 26 saves.
After the game, the fans chanted Fleury's name, while the 39-year-old took a lap to soak it all in.
“I think it’s a great way to celebrate [Fleury],” Crosby told reporters afterwards. “I thought the fans had great ovations with the videos and things like that. He means a lot to the team, to the fans, to the organization, to the guys that played with him. So, yeah, probably mixed emotions.
“Happy that he had the opportunity to play in this game and get that kind of ovation. And then, obviously, sad to see that it’s his last year.”
Fleury said when he signed a one-year extension with the Wild that 2024-25 would be his last dance, so this homecoming in Pittsburgh has been pencilled on the calendar for months.
“I don’t know. It’s maybe hard to believe that's the last time,” Fleury explained, per NHL.com's Wes Crosby. “I told you I’ve gotten soft. Yeah, hard to believe, but so appreciative. … I’ve had a few tough games here. I don’t know. It just feels so weird, so not comfortable.”
Marc-Andre Fleury is a Pittsburgh Penguins legend
Fleury is a legend in Pittsburgh; he helped the Penguins win three Stanley Cups in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Along with Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, he helped form one of the league's great modern dynasties.
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The Quebec, Canada native played 13 seasons with Pittsburgh after being selected No. 1 overall by the franchise in the 2003 NHL Draft. He has earned the most wins (375) and best goals-against average (2.58) in team history.
Tuesday's tilt also happened to be Fleury's 100th game with the Wild since joining the squad during the 2021-22 campaign after stints with the Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks.
The next time Fleury is between the pipes will tie him with Patrick Roy for the third-most games played by a goaltender in history; the 39-year-old is currently at 1,028.
It's been an incredible career for the French-Canadian, who will be entering the Hall of Fame soon after he retires. He's the third goaltender to ever reach 500 victories after Roy and Martin Brodeur, and the fourth goalie to play 1,000 games, joining Roy, Brodeur and Roberto Luongo.
Although he's settled into a backup role behind Filip Gustavsson in Minnesota, Fleury has shown that he still has some NHL game. And the Wild and Penguins are going in very different directions; while the Pens are 3-7-1 and struggling mightily, the Wild are third place in the Central Division at 6-1-2.
The final chapter for the storied netminder continues in 2024-25 when the Wild return home to play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.
