The Pittsburgh Penguins’ organizational history has a plethora of great players, and we’ve decided to go through the best Penguins’ players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #29 in Penguins’ history.
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This was a tough one. There have been several #29s who have impacted the franchise in different ways. Phil Bourque grinded his way to helping the Penguins go back-to-back in 1991 and 1992. Markus Naslund played some great hockey for the Penguins in the late-90s and went on to become a top winger in the league.
But no #29 has had more of an impact on the Penguins’ franchise than “The Flower,” Marc-Andre Fleury.
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“Flower” was drafted first overall by the Penguins in 2003. He debuted in the same season on a struggling Penguins’ team, and he struggled a bit to adapt in his first two NHL seasons. But he, along with the Penguins, found his stride in 2006-07 – the first of 16 consecutive seasons in which the Penguins qualified for the postseason in the Crosby era.
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Fleury went 40-16-9 that year, and he only got better leading up to the Penguins’ 2009 Cup run. Over those next two seasons combined, he posted a 54-28-9 record, a 2.50 goals-against average (GAA), and a .917 save percentage (SV%).
And he also produced one of the most memorable moments in franchise history to clinch the franchise’s third Cup:
After that initial Cup, Fleury kept piling up the wins in the regular season. He struggled mightily in the playoffs for a four-year stretch from 2010-14, causing many to question whether or not he was up to the task in the most important games.
But he still had some memorable stops in store, including this one in 2016 against the Devils:
Despite his postseason struggles and some nagging injuries, Fleury proved himself in the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017, and especially in 2017, when he split time with young goaltender Matt Murray.
Fleury made some huge saves in the Conference Semifinals against the Capitals, particularly during Game 7:
After they opted to roll with the younger, promising Murray as their starting goaltender, the Penguins surrendered Fleury to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 Expansion Draft. He went on to win the Vezina Trophy with the Knights in 2020-21.
Fleury currently plays for the Minnesota Wild in what is, presumably, his final NHL season. He currently sits second behind only Martin Brodeur in all-time wins with 561.
Honorable Mentions: Greg Millen, Phil Bourque, Markus Naslund
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