PITTSBURGH — Returning to Pittsburgh for one ultimate farewell simply felt proper for Marc-Andre Fleury.
Fleury stopped all eight photographs he confronted through the third interval of his ultimate recreation with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 4-1 preseason win in opposition to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday evening.
“It was a bit surreal, a bit loopy, but in addition snug,” Fleury stated. “After I performed right here with different groups, I all the time felt a bit bizarre, however this felt regular … prefer it used to.”
Fleury formally retired from the NHL as a member of the Minnesota Wild on the finish of final season. However the beloved 40-year-old goaltender signed a ceremonial skilled tryout contract earlier this month to see outdated teammates and buddies, come full circle and full a 21-season NHL profession that started in Pittsburgh.
“I really feel unhealthy as a result of I’ve completed so many laps and goodbyes, and I hold coming again,” Fleury stated. “I’m grateful I acquired the chance to return again for another go-around.”
Fleury, a former Vezina Trophy winner who additionally performed with Vegas and Chicago, is second in NHL historical past solely to Martin Brodeur with 575 wins and 1,051 regular-season video games performed, and his 76 NHL shutouts are tied for tenth in league historical past.
However this evening was meant to have fun Fleury, who’s most well-known for his time in Pittsburgh, the place he received three Stanley Cups and holds almost each main goaltending file in Penguins historical past, together with video games performed (691), wins (375), goals-against common (2.58), shutouts (44), playoff video games (115), playoff wins (62) and playoff shutouts (10).
Fleury, who practiced with the Penguins on Friday, wore his acquainted vibrant, yellow pads and a specifically made masks to commemorate the particular weekend. Fleury was provided a selection as to when he might play Saturday, and he opted for the third interval to attempt to win another recreation with the Penguins.
The sellout crowd gave Fleury a standing ovation as he led the Penguins from the tunnel to start the third interval. Loud chants of “Fle-ury” “Fle-ury” and “One Extra 12 months” crammed the sector minutes after the puck dropped to start the interval. Followers erupted with thunderous applause every time Fleury made a save or touched the puck, together with stops on Hudson Fasching, Cole Sillinger and Erik Gudbranson.
Within the ultimate two minutes, with the victory in hand, the gang showered Fleury with chants of “Thank You, Fleury.” When the ultimate horn sounded, fellow franchise cornerstones Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang embraced Fleury another time within the crease.
“Each time he touched the puck, the reception was unreal,” Crosby stated. “It felt like a playoff recreation. It was good to get him the win.”
Fleury spent the primary 13 seasons of his profession with the Penguins. He helped Crosby, Malkin and Letang win the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017 earlier than Vegas chosen Fleury within the 2017 growth draft.
Pittsburgh traded as much as draft an 18-year-old Fleury No. 1 in 2003 throughout a tumultuous interval during which the franchise almost moved. Greater than twenty years later, Pittsburgh is now not a playoff fixture, however Fleury helped stabilize the franchise and switch the Penguins into one of many NHL’s marquee groups.
His signature second with Pittsburgh got here June 12, 2009, in Recreation 7 of the Stanley Cup Last in opposition to Detroit. Fleury made a last-second desperation, post-to-post diving save on Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom to seal a 2-1 win and ship Pittsburgh its third Stanley Cup.
The followers remembered Saturday.
Earlier than the sport, crowds gathered a number of rows deep behind the Penguins’ objective, hoping to catch a glimpse of Fleury throughout his ultimate pregame warmup with the staff. Many took photographs and video to commemorate the second, wore acquainted No. 29 jerseys and held do-it-yourself indicators expressing their love for Fleury, who lobbed pucks over the glass in between going through photographs.
“It was surreal to be again with the Penguins and seeing the fellows in entrance of me,” Fleury stated. “It was superb. It was identical to outdated occasions.”