PITTSBURGH (AP) — Marc-Andre Fleury is ready for one last skate around the place he helped build.
The veteran goalie will make the final start of his career at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night when the Minnesota Wild face the reeling Pittsburgh Penguins.
Fleury spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Penguins, helping fellow franchise cornerstones Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang win the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017 before departing for Vegas in the expansion draft.
The 39-year-old Fleury — who remains a fan favorite in Pittsburgh — plans to retire following this season, meaning this visit will likely be his last as an active player. The former Vezina Trophy winner admitted he expects to be emotional before the puck drop.
“I think, just maybe (take a) deep breath, look around, take a good look around to keep good memories,” Fleury said. “Like I said, I was very fortunate to play here for so long. I’ve got souvenirs from this place, so it’ll be nice to do it one more time.”
Fleury, who helped the expansion Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup final in 2018, is now a backup behind Filip Gustavsson in Minnesota. Fleury has been relatively sharp in two starts, going 1-0-1 with a 2.89 goals against average and a .900 save percentage for the Wild.
Coming back to Pittsburgh has always been a little strange to Fleury, taken with the first overall pick in 2003 by the Penguins, who were in the midst of a tumultuous period in which the franchise nearly moved. More than two decades later, Pittsburgh is one of the NHL’s marquee teams and Fleury’s 375 wins are the most in team history.
“The most important thing for me would be to win,” Fleury said. “I want to play good and put on a good show one last time here.”
Fleury’s former team is struggling. The Penguins have dropped five straight and are coming off a road trip through western Canada in which they were largely outclassed.
Crosby acknowledged seeing Fleury’s familiar No. 29 in the other net will provide a little extra motivation, though stressed the team doesn’t really need it as it tries to emerge from an early season funk. He remains close with Fleury, who he called a “great friend.”
“(We were basically) growing up together in the league and trying to find our way,” Crosby said. “I think just he means a lot. I think he means a lot to me, means a lot to the organization and I’m sure the fans.”
The Penguins, currently 15th in the 16-team Eastern Conference, could use a little bit of the good vibes that have long been Fleury’s trademark.
“He’s really good at looking at the positives,” Crosby said. “And I think he’s got high expectations himself. But, you know, I think he still finds a way to have fun and keep things light and find that balance.”
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