Although his NHL career ended, Marc-Andre Fleury is reuniting with Sidney Crosby.
Team Canada added another Stanley Cup champion, Fleury, to the men’s World Championship squad.
Fleury retired from the NHL when the Minnesota Wild were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights. He left the ice for the last time, saluting the crowd.
However, that won’t be the last moment in his hockey career, as Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, said Fleury accepted an invitation to join the Canadians.
This will be Fleury’s first World Championship during his 21-year NHL career. The 40-year-old hasn’t played a game for Canada in a tournament since he played in the World Junior Championship in 2002-03. Despite playing in two world junior tournaments, Canada only earned silver in both competitions.
Fleury was selected for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, but he didn’t play since Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur were ahead of him on the goaltending depth chart. Canada took home the gold medal in those Olympics.
Not only will this likely be Fleury’s last dance, but he’ll be doing it with longtime teammate and friend, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. It was announced on Sunday that Crosby will join Canada for the World Championship after multiple weeks of consideration.
The two were teammates for 12 seasons with the Penguins between 2005 and 2017. They won the Stanley Cup together in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
The IIHF World Championship begins on May 9, and Canada’s first game is on May 10. They’ll take on Slovenia to kick off their campaign.
Canada played their first exhibition game on Sunday, defeating Austria 5-1. New York Rangers prospect Dylan Garand stopped 22 of 23 shots in net for the Canadians. Their next and final pre-tournament game is on Tuesday, when they visit Budapest to take on Hungary.
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