Marc-Andre Fleury was showered with chants of, “One more year,” and, “Thank you, Fleury,” from grateful Pittsburgh Penguins fans as he concluded his NHL career with a third period shutout in Saturday’s 4-1 preseason win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The 40-year-old netminder stopped all 8 shots he faced in his first game back with the Penguins in over 3,000 days and went 2-for-3 in the practice shootout. Despite the pleas from fans he’s not canceling his retirement plans.
“Thank you. I’m tired. My hip is sore,” Fleury told reporters chuckling but grateful in the locker room post game.
Fleury was named the first star of the game and received a standing ovation from the crowd at PPG Paints Arena before leaving the ice for the last time in his illustrious career.
“Some of the best time of my life,” a smiling Fleury told the crowd post game. “It’s a big part cause of you guys. Thank you so much for making this night special.”
“I feel very lucky that I played hockey for so long, obviously being in Pittsburgh for so long too. I feel very fortunate and thankful for that,” he concluded, saluting the fans and fist bumping his three kids standing on the ice with him.
The entire night was fit for a storybook ending to the three-time Stanley Cup champion’s saga. During the national anthem, he stood with longtime teammates Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust and Kris Letang.
“Thank you, boys,” the mic’d-up Fleury was heard saying as the lights came up and the group took a pre-game photo together.
Naturally, Crosby opened the scoring for Pittsburgh with a game-tying goal in the first period. Immediately after celebrating his tally, the captain skated to the bench to fist bump Fleury and his children who were sitting nearby behind the glass.
“The reception was unreal… just so deserving,” Crosby said of Fleury’s farewell. “And give a lot of credit to our fans for the way that they turned out and supported him and showed the love that he deserves.”
At the final horn, Fleury was congratulated by his teammates on one final triumph in black and gold. Crosby skated up to him and dropped the game puck in his glove as a memento.
Just as a good teammate would, Crosby also drove to the arena on Saturday with the no. 29 decal Fleury put on his and others’ cars as a prank on Friday.
Fleury made sure every detail of his send-off was for the fans. The top of his mask was inscribed with, “Thank you, Pittsburgh” and he also signed autographs for some fans waiting for him to pull into the arena pre-game.
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.
The future Hall of Fame netminder has stated that he plans to reside in the Minnesota area with his family during retirement.
Though his resolve to remain retired may be tested in a few months.
