Marian Gaborik carried the Minnesota Wild to a big win on Dec. 20, 2007, being the first to score five times in a game since a Hall of Famer. Marc-Andre Fleury [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNjU3ODI2Njk2OTY0MDI3/usatsi_22238196_168400847_lowres.jpg] Marc-Andre Fleury As of Monday night, 871 goaltenders have suited up for a game in NHL history. Out of that group, 683 have been credited with a win. But Marc-Andre Fleury just became the second goalie to record more career wins than Patrick Roy with a shutout for the Minnesota Wild. With Fleury's 21-save performance in a 5-0 win over the New York Islanders, the 39-year-old from Sorel, Que., took sole possession of second place in the NHL's all-time career goaltender wins list. Now at 552 wins, he trails only Martin Brodeur's 691 victories. It took 18 games this season for Fleury to gather seven wins, tying Roy on Jan. 6 by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets. After that, Fleury lost the following two starts and relieved Filip Gustavsson on Saturday but got that eighth win in his 22nd game. "I'm glad it's over – I'm glad we can stop talking about it – but it's about time we get that one," a smiling Fleury said to Bally Sports' Kevin Gorg and the home crowd at Xcel Energy Center after the win [https://x.com/BallySportsNOR/status/1747074245018931449?s=20]. "It's such a special moment for me, for my family, all the years of sacrifice and stuff, so (it's an) honor to do it here with you guys and my teammates in the room, too." Fleury's record this season now moves up to 8-9-3. He improved his stats in 2023-24 to a 2.97 goals-against average and .897 save percentage with his first shutout of the season and 74th of his career, which ranks 12th all-time. But he said he stayed focused on the main task at hand as the clock ticked down on a potential shutout. "Didn't want to jinx myself, so I didn't think too much about the goose egg, but I was just happy to get a win," Fleury said. Of the top 12 netminders with the most wins in NHL history, 10 were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The only two who haven't made it yet are three-time Vezina Trophy finalist and King Clancy Trophy winner Curtis Joseph and Fleury, who will only be eligible for induction for three seasons after last playing in a professional or international hockey game. In his career, 'The Flower' has 552 wins, 324 losses, two ties and 92 overtime losses to go with a 2.59 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in the regular season. He reached another milestone just two weeks earlier, playing in his 1,000th NHL regular-season game on Dec. 31. He has the fourth-most games played by a goaltender in league history, now at 1,007, trailing Brodeur (1,266), Roberto Luongo (1,044) and Roy (1,029). In the playoffs, he is tied with Grant Fuhr for the third-most wins by a netminder, with 92, and with Joseph for the third-most shutouts, with 16. Fleury has 41 career regular-season wins now with the Wild, and another 19 came with the Chicago Blackhawks in part of the 2021-22 season before being traded to Minnesota. But most of Fleury's history-making career has come during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not only did he record 375 regular-season victories with the team that selected him first overall in a loaded 2003 NHL draft class, but he was also part of three Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins in 2009, 2016 and 2017. After 13 years with Pittsburgh, the Vegas Golden Knights claimed him in the 2017 expansion draft. There, Fleury didn't just win 117 games over four regular seasons, but he also captured the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender and the William M. Jennings Trophy with Robin Lehner as the goalies for the team with the fewest goals against, both in the 2020-21 season. With the latter award looking out of reach for the Wild's goaltenders this season – currently with the 11th-most goals against per game – Fleury kept the focus on those much-needed wins for the club, which has a 2-7-1 record in its last 10 games. "It's been a little rough lately," he told Gorg. "The guys are fighting hard, trying to get some wins here, and trying to get some players back, getting healthy again. Just happy to get a win." As Fleury rose up the all-time wins list, the Wild improved to 18-20-5 on the season. They currently sit seventh in the Central Division and are six points back of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. For more on the game and Fleury's latest accomplishment, check out THN's Minnesota Wild site [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/news/wilds-marc-andre-fleury-passes-patrick-roy-for-sole-possession-of-second-all-time-in-wins]. THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTg5MzM3NTA5NzY2MjUy/my-thn-ad-banner-1500x150.jpg] THN.com/free
