Veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said that the 2024-25 season would be the last of what is surely a Hockey Hall of Fame career. So it came as somewhat of a pleasant surprise Friday when it was announced Fleury was signing a professional tryout offer with the Pittsburgh Penguins – the team with which he won three Stanley Cup championships.
Fleury intends to get one last kick at the can by playing in parts of a Sept. 27 pre-season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets – but no one should take that to mean Fleury will be on Pittsburgh’s roster when the NHL season begins.
Indeed, at 40, Fleury is long past his peak. But his choice of getting some final game action as a Penguin tells you all you need to know about where his heart is – and where he’ll likely be working in an off-ice role if and when he decides to do so.
The Pens are where Fleury had the grand majority of his success, and Pittsburgh has long been Fleury’s home. So it makes complete sense as to why Fleury wants to ride off into the sunset with the Penguins.
In some cases, NHL icons choose to sign a one-day contract with a team before retiring. Doing so Is a low-impact way to say goodbye.
In Fleury’s case, he’s going to get a little bit more of a goodbye than that. Taking the ice against the Blue Jackets will give Fleury one more game to participate in, and when it’s over, he’ll be able to say he went out on his own terms in front of the fans he’s spent the most time with during his storied NHL career.
Fleury told The Athletic at the World Championship, where he reunited with Sidney Crosby, that his age has caught up to him, and he really felt it the morning after a game. So if you think there’s some sliver of potential that he will return to the NHL full-time this season and give it another go, don’t lose sleep over it. He won’t be the solution to any goaltending issues by stepping in the crease himself.
But the good-natured Fleury earned legions of fans – in Pittsburgh. Vegas, Chicago and Minnesota, where he spent his last season – because he was always smiling, always finding the joy in the sport and always a terrific teammate. He did that from his first day until his last.
Marc-Andre Fleury To Return To The Pittsburgh Penguins For One Last Game
Marc-Andre Fleury is playing one last game with the Pittsburgh Penguins this pre-season.
There was no artifice, no tactical moves to get people on his side. He did that just by being his authentic self. So no one begrudges him for signing a PTO and suiting up one final time. Fleury has earned that right, and fans at that pre-season game in Pittsburgh will get a special treat on what will undoubtedly be an emotional night for Fleury and his friends, family and fans.
He’s been a dynamic netminder, a fantastic ambassador for the game and a joy to watch. When you look at everything you want a player to be – a role model, a difference-maker and an amazing teammate – Fleury checks all those boxes.
In fact, he’s the type of person any team should want after his playing career as well. Whether he can impart his wisdom and advice on other netminders or become a team ambassador of some sort, Fleury has plenty of ways to be an effective part of the coaching or management crew if he wants to.
And if he does get a job to create a new chapter of his hockey life, it would be hard to imagine him being anywhere else than with the Penguins.
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