Penguins Great Returns to Pittsburgh for Possible Final Time
This could be the last time the greatest Pittsburgh Penguins goalie returns to where it all started.
Marc-Andre Fleury was a consistent face in the lineup and between the pipes for the Pittsburgh Penguins for 13 seasons.
Now, in his 20th season, the Penguins icon may be taking to the ice in Pittsburgh for the final time in his career.
Fleury was always a fan favorite and made the most out of his time in Pittsburgh, becoming the no doubt best goalie in franchise history.
In 691 games played Fleury notched a 375-216-68 record with the Penguins while setting franchise highs in wins, shutouts, saves, and goals against average.
The Penguins are known today as having a core three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, but Fleury was an easy choice as thee fourth member when he was in Pittsburgh.
“He’s been at it for a while,” Crosby said on his former teammate. “He’s had an amazing career. Definitely enjoyed playing with him and it’s always a challenge playing against him.”
Fleury entered the NHL with extremely high expectations being a rare first overall pick goalie; In his 20-year career, everyone believes he’s exceeded expectations.
“He passed by a mile,” Crosby said. “He set the tone. When you have a goalie like that, you have a chance to win every single night.”
Fleury was more than just a great player becoming one of the best locker room characters in the league.
“We don’t talk enough about what he brought to the table inside the room,” Letang said. “To have a guy like him to come in with this attitude every single day was good for our team.”
Regardless of the next game, Fleury is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career and is still closing in on multiple impressive milestones.
Fleury sits four back of playing in 1,000 games and three victories behind Patrick Roy for the second most wins in NHL history.
“That’s pretty much unheard of for a goalie to hit a thousand,” Crosby said. “Pretty amazing what he’s been able to do that with the consistency he’s had. To be able to do that you have to adjust, find ways to get better, and improve. He’s done that throughout his whole career. It says a lot about him.”
Later this season, the Penguins are planning on retiring Jaromir Jagr’s No. 68; while Crosby, Malkin, and Letang are three obvious names and numbers to follow, Fleury should be right in that conversation.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins