Penguins’ Crosby thinks Fleury ‘couldn’t be more deserving’ of final-season honours

For the past 20 years, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been a mainstay in the NHL.

Selected first-overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003 as the starting piece of the next dynastic era for the franchise, Fleury went on to win three Stanley Cups, one Olympic gold, one Vezina Trophy and earned the honour of becoming the second-most winningest goalie in league history across three franchises.

Now, the 40-year-old goaltender is taking his final lap around the NHL and scenes like those from Thursday, where Fleury was serenaded with applause after shutting out the Canadiens in his final game in Montreal, are sure to become commonplace as the season winds down.

Even though Fleury left the Penguins in 2017 following their back-to-back Stanley Cups to join the Vegas Golden Knights, he never forgot the 14 years he spent with the franchise that drafted him. In turn, they’ve not forgotten him either.

“You see what Flower means to so many people,” said Sidney Crosby, who won all three Cups with Fleury as captain of the Penguins. “To people here we see it, but even to other venues in a place like Montreal that has a passion for the game as much as they do. He’s from an hour outside the city.

“That’s a place he’s really enjoyed playing (in) and to get that reception, I’m sure meant a lot to him, and to get a shutout in his last game there.”

Though Crosby has come up through the NHL alongside Fleury and the duo even took home Olympic gold in Vancouver together, the unconventional netminder has made his mark around the league.

In his final season playing with the Minnesota Wild, Fleury has been honoured by his former franchises in the Chicago Blackhawks and Golden Knights, and shared a moment with former tandem-buddy Matt Murray when the Wild visited Toronto on Wednesday.

When asked if there’s anyone else that’s more deserving of this victory lap than Fleury, Crosby was hard-pressed to come up with a name.

“It’d be tough. I think he sets the standard pretty high with the way he carries himself — the kind of teammate he is, the career he’s had, you look at every facet… he’s a great player, great person. Couldn’t be more deserving.”

Fleury played his final game at PPG Paints arena on Nov. 4, where he led the Wild to a 5-3 win over the Penguins. If the Wild’s position in the standings hold, Fleury will have one last chance to backstop his team through the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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