Marc-Andre Fleury made what is assumed to be his final start in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
And – even though he donned the Minnesota Wild’s signature forest green – it’s safe to say that it is the last start in a long line of many that brought memories and championships to Pittsburgh.
Here are Fleury’s top-five moments – both on-ice and off-ice – from his time as a Pittsburgh Penguin.
5. Fleury’s NHL debut
I’ll never forget Mike Lange’s call when Fleury stopped Esa Pirnes on that penalty shot in his debut game. We had nothing to cheer about for a long time, suddenly we had something.
“He’s found a home… in the city of Pittsburgh… Marc-Andre Fleury.”
That has never changed.
— Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) October 29, 2024
Fleury’s debut was one to remember, despite the fact that the Penguins ultimately lost the game, 3-0, to the Los Angeles Kings.
He gave up a goal on the first shot he faced, but he ended up making 46 saves from there on out, including a save on a penalty shot by Esa Pirnes.
Fleury was the first of the superstars from the Crosby era to break into the league, which makes the occasion itself momentous.
4. “Prank you very much!”
Perhaps one of the most endearing things about Fleury is his infectuous smile and ability to light up a room. And he sure knew how to make fans adn teammates laugh over the years through his trademark pranks.
Former teammates Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang named a few of their favorites, including the packing peanuts in their strength coach’s car and Bryan Rust’s clothes being hung in the rafters.
But Fleury’s favorite – and, perhaps, his greatest – was one he pulled on then-rookies Ben Lovejoy and Mark Letestu, when he took out all of the furniture from their hotel room and put it in the hallway by the elevator.
3. Breakaway save on Alex Ovechkin
Fleury actually had a few huge playoff saves on Alexander Ovechkin. One of them was during the Penguins’ 2017 Stanley Cup run, when he made a save with the shaft of his stick during the second period of Game 7.
But, perhaps his biggest one came during the 2009 Cup run. Again, during Game 7, Fleury made a great glove save on an Ovechkin breakaway in the early stages of the game, which set the tone for the rest of the contest and allowed the Penguins to take control early on.
2. Passing of the torch
As bittersweet as this moment was, it’s hard to exclude it from an all-time Fleury list because of the kind of person – and teammate – he has always been.
For the second consecutive season, the young, 20-year-old Matt Murray had helped lead the Penguins to a Cup championship. With the Vegas expansion draft looming, everyone – Fleury included – knew what was probably about to happen.
In a “passing of the torch” moment, Fleury handed the Stanley Cup to Murray during the celebration and said something to him in the process. Fleury was Vegas’s first draft pick 10 days later.
1. The Save
There is no other Fleury moment that can top this one. This was, simply put, arguably the biggest save in franchise history.
By now, everyone knows how this one goes. In the waning seconds during Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final against Detroit, Fleury made a sprawling save on Nikolas Lidstrom to preserve the Penguins’ 2-1 lead and give the franchise its third Cup.
This will forever be known as one of the greatest moments in team history, and Fleury made it happen.
