At 40 years old, Marc-André Fleury still knows how to put on a show. 

Fleury was the star of the show on Sunday, leading Team Canada to a 7-1 victory over Team Latvia at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship. 

How exactly did we get here, though?

Fleury just completed his final season in the NHL, as it looked like his hockey-playing days were over after the Minnesota Wild lost in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. 

However, there was one more stop in 'The Flower’s' retirement tour he had in mind, and that was in Stockholm, Sweden, for his first-ever World Championship appearance.

Why was it at the World Championship where Fleury wanted to have his official last dance? 

“That’s it for me after this season,” Fleury said. “I got a call and the opportunity to play for Team Canada again one more time. It's always such a great experience when you can wear that jersey and try to win one more tournament.”

Fleury is as flashy as any goalie could be, and he put that on full display on Sunday night. The legendary goalie was diving around for every puck like he was still in his 20s while making multiple acrobatic saves. 

Who knew a 40-year-old could do that?

Anyone who watches the NHL knows that Fleury has a flair for the dramatics. Now, he showed that to all the international fans. 

“You can see from the game today, he's got a pretty unique style,” Sidney Crosby said of Fleury. “He’s pretty athletic, fun goalie to watch. His personality reflects the way he plays. It's fun to be here with him.” 

The end is near for Fleury, but he’s just going to enjoy this tournament before he begins the next chapter of his life, not playing hockey. 

“Not yet,” Fleury said about if he thinks about his retirement. “Maybe toward the end of it more, but it was fun today. I just try to go one day at a time.”

While Fleury has three Stanley Cups in his repertoire and 575 wins throughout his 21-year NHL career, it’s his shining personality that stands out the most about him. 

You can always see a smile on Fleury’s face, and he brings such a positive energy to whichever team he’s on. 

Fleury’s joyful personality is contagious to all around him, and that’s the biggest mark that he’ll leave on the game of hockey. 

“I'm actually in awe not of his game on the ice, I'm in awe of who he is as a person,” Team Canada head coach Dean Evason said. “From the first time that he stepped into our environment here, just his team-first mentality, his fun spirit, his competitiveness at practice stood out. He brings up an intensity level and honestly, a fun level with the guys that they can have fun playing hockey…

“It's one thing to be a great hockey player and a great goaltender, but it's also fantastic that he's a wonderful person. He just respects the game so much and the people around the game, not just people in the game, but the fans as well. So that's why these guys stand out like Marc-André Fleury.”

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