MONTREAL — Eight years younger than Marc-Andre Fleury, fellow Quebecer Freddie Gaudreau was 16 years old when Fleury won his first Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
Asked Monday if he had any memories from childhood of watching his teammate play, Gaudreau laughed.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “He’s a legend.”
Especially in Quebec, where the veteran goaltender will make his season debut for the Wild on Tuesday against the Canadiens at Bell Centre, officially starting his 20th NHL season with his 986th start. It also might be his last in his home province.
Fleury made his NHL debut with five games in 2007. Since then, there have been 544 victories — third all time and counting — and three Stanley Cup championships. He is eight wins from passing Patrick Roy for second place in career victories for a goaltender, and 15 games from being the fourth NHL goalie to play 1,000 games.
“He’s a legend in the hockey world,” said Gaudreau, who hails from Bromont, Quebec, “and then you come to Quebec and it’s another step.”
Fleury is so well-liked in Quebec that Canadiens fans chanted his name in the final seconds of his 500th victory, a 2-0 Blackhawks win over the home team on Dec. 9, 2021.
Yet for a legend, Fleury isn’t eager to talk about his accomplishments, or the potential end to a career that will put him in the Hockey Hall of Fame. A phalanx of reporters had trouble extricating deep thoughts from the veteran Monday after a Wild practice at Bell Centre.
But Fleury seemed just as concerned that he hasn’t started a game since an Oct. 5 preseason victory at Chicago than the fact that he might be playing his last game in Montreal.
“There will be more (emotions) than usual, I think, for this one. But still got to get the win,” he said. “Got to get the two points, and that’s what matters. And hopefully you can put on a good show for them.”
Fleury turns 39 on Nov. 28 and told reporters on the first day of training camp that he spent part of his summer contemplating retirement. A two-year, $7 million contract extension expires after this season, and Filip Gustavsson, 25, appears to be the Wild’s future in net after signing a three-year, $11.25 million contract extension in July.
Yet Fleury is as spry as ever, on and off the ice, a friendly leader for a Wild team with aspirations of becoming the goaltender’s fourth Stanley Cup champion. Barring something unforeseen, he will play quite a bit as part of a tandem that, head coach Dean Evason said, will dictate its own playing time.
Since joining the Wild at the 2022 trade deadline, Fleury is 33-18-4 with a .283 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. But that’s not all he brings to the table.
“Even in practice, he’s always chirping and having fun, bouncing around, and he does the same thing in the locker room,” Evason said. “We had our one-on-one meeting the other day and I said you obviously wouldn’t know the age he is. He’s very young at heart and keeps it light in the dressing room — not only does that but is a true professional and a leader.”
Fleury has been, for instance, a mentor to Gustavsson, who was the NHL’s second-best goaltender statistically last season (22-9-7, 2.10, .931). That’s not always the case for NHL goaltenders.
“Either it’s good, you click with the other goalie, or it’s a little bit of a sour relationship, usually, because there’s only one guy that can play,” Gustavsson said. “Me and Fleury have a good relationship.”
Gustavsson noted that he was 5 years old when Fleury started his NHL career, yet he added that he’s not the only guy asking questions.
“It’s back and forth,” he said. “Really, even now, he’s still asking about small, detail stuff and still wants to improve, even down to the end.”
Fleury grew up in Sorel, about an hour northeast of here, and grew up rooting for the Candiens. He cheered when the Habs won the Cup in 1993, and nabbed tickets to watch NHL wins leader Martin Brodeur play here with New Jersey. He also has played well in Montreal, going 26-13-6 at Bell Centre, and made note of how he was treated here after his 500th victory.
“Everything started around here, or close to here, a long time ago,” he said. “It’s amazing how fast time goes by, right? I don’t know, I feel very fortunate that I’ve had the chance to play here many times.”
