Marc-Andre Fleury looks to be in tip-top shape ahead of his farewell appearance for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 40-year-old goaltender, at training camp on a professional tryout agreement with the Penguins, took to the ice for practice with his old team on Friday. Fleury, donning his classic yellow goalie gear again, made sure to create one viral moment as he stacked his pads to make a windmill save on longtime teammate Sidney Crosby.
While Fleury made the initial stop on Crosby at practice, the Penguins’ captain was quick to remind the media what happened at the end of the play.
“The one where I batted it out of the air and scored on it?” Crosby said, smiling widely. “That’s the one you’re talking about? Yeah, it was a good initial save, for sure.”
“Just trying to enjoy it,” Crosby added, a little more seriously. “You do that, I don’t know, hundreds of times, thousands of times, and you take it for granted. To get a chance to do that today was a lot of fun.”
Fleury will start in goal for the Penguins in a preseason sendoff for the legendary netminder against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. The game will be his first in Penguins colors since the end of the 2016-17 season, which saw Pittsburgh take home the second of back-to-back Stanley Cups.
The Quebec native officially retired from the NHL after playing his final season with the Minnesota Wild last year. Fleury’s preseason run with the team that made him the first overall selection in the 2003 NHL Draft will be a perfect end to his playing days.
“I obviously love hockey, love this,” Fleury said Friday. “I love everything about the game, being around the guys, and love playing, love practicing. And I’ve found out that there’s nothing else I can do that will fulfill that hole, right, of playing hockey. But at the same time, I’m older, slower, more hurt, a little more sore, and not as flexible, as fast, maybe. Yeah, I think it’s time.”
After the skate was over, Fleury even made sure to help the Penguins’ equipment staff collect all of the pucks before heading back to the team’s locker room.
One of the most infamous pranksters in NHL history also made sure not to leave without pulling one last gag on Crosby and fellow Penguins franchise legend Kris Letang. Fleury had his number, 29, and other decals, such as racing stripes and a flower, placed on their vehicles at the Penguins’ practice facility.
Fleury holds nearly every major goaltending record in Penguins history, including games played (691), wins (375), and shutouts (44). His 2.58 goals-against average is also the best in franchise history, while his .912 save-percentage sits second among the club’s all-time goaltenders with a minimum of 100 games played. He won three Stanley Cups in total with the team.
The future Hall of Fame netminder has stated that he plans to reside in the Minnesota area with his family during retirement.
