It was quite the night for a former Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender and future hall-of-famer.
Penguins legend Marc-Andre Fleury – playing in the final season of his NHL career – continued his victory lap around the league on Thursday with what will probably be his final start in Montreal.
And, for Fleury – who grew up about an hour north of the city in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec – it meant that this was, likely, the final start in his hometown.
Fleury got emotional during a pre-game celebration put on by the Montreal Canadiens, a gesture of respect and kindness for the all-time great goaltender. He received a standing ovation from the Montreal faithful that lasted two minutes:
But the special night for “Flower” didn’t end there. Fleury also registered a 19-save shutout, which makes him the first goaltender in NHL history to have a shutout as a teenager and as a 40-year-old.
And – at the end of it – the entire Canadiens team formed a handshake line to congratulate the netminder on the shutout and on an incredible NHL career.
Fleury was drafted first overall by the Penguins in 2003 and became their franchise goaltender, winning three Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh in 2009, 2016, and 2017. He was selected first overall – again – by the Vegas Golden Knights in their 2017 expansion draft, and he spent four seasons there before a brief stop as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.
He was traded to the Minnesota Wild during the 2021-22 season, and he has spent parts of his last four seasons with Minnesota.
Fleury is second only to Martin Brodeur all-time in wins with 572. Over the course of his NHL career – spanning 1,043 games up to this point – he has 76 shutouts, a 2.60 goals-against average, and a .912 save percentage.
