The NHL announced the Pittsburgh Penguins Quarter-Century team on Jan. 9, featuring several memorable names in franchise history.
Today, we want to examine Marc-Andre Fleury’s tenure with the club and his credentials for being honored on the Penguins’ first team.
Fleury doesn’t need an introduction to Pittsburgh fans and those who follow hockey. As arguably one of the greatest goalies in NHL history, he is winding down his first-ballot Hall of Fame career this season as a member of the Minnesota Wild.
When Fleury left the Penguins in the 2017 Expansion Draft, he departed the greatest statistical netminder in team history. The franchise selected him first overall at the 2003 Draft.
He had a rough rookie season, earning a 4-14-2 record in 21 games with a .896 SV% and 3.64 GAA. However, once Sidney Crosby joined the team in 2005-06, Fleury and the Penguins began to turn the page.
By 2006-07, Fleury became Pittsburgh’s number one goalie, a spot he’d maintain for most of the next ten seasons.
At 22, he became only the second goalie to win 40 games in a Penguins sweater, producing a 40-16-9 record in 2006-07. Within a season, Fleury guided his team to the Stanley Cup Final, where they would lose in six games to the Detroit Red Wings.
However, with a 35-win season in 2008-09, Fleury and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in Game 7, defeating the Red Wings in a rematch. In the final seconds, Fleury stopped Hall of Fame Nicklas Lidström to preserve the team’s one-goal victory.
During those two playoff runs, Fleury’s record was 30-14 in 44 games with a .921 SV% and 2.31 GAA.
From 2006 to his departure in 2017, the Penguins never missed the playoffs, allowing Fleury to overtake all the team’s playoff records.
In 11 playoff runs, he played in 115 games, earning a 62-51 record with ten shutouts, a .908 SV%, and a 2.65 GAA. He also won the Stanley Cup three times: in 2009, 2016, and 2017.
Moreover, from 2006-07 to 2016-17, he only won fewer than 30 games on three occasions: 2007-08 (19), 2012-13 (23), and 2016-17 (18).
Surprisingly, despite all his successes, Fleury never won any NHL awards during his time with the Penguins. He finished as a top-ten Vezina Trophy candidate in 2011 and 2012 while earning Hart Trophy votes in 2011 and 2015.
As mentioned, Fleury is the all-time leader in almost every statistical category in Penguins history, so here’s a rundown of his totals:
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Games Played: 691 (1st)
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Wins: 375 (1st)
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Losses: 216 (1st)
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OT Losses: 66 (1st)
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Shots Faced: 19,487 (1st)
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Saves: 17,774 (1st)
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Goals Against: 1,713 (1st)
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Save Percentage: .912 SV% (T-2nd min. 100 games)
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Goals Against Average: 2.58 (1st min. 100 games)
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Shutouts: 44 (1st – 2000s, 2nd overall)
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Assists: 14 (1st – 2000s, 2nd overall)
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Penalty Minutes: 56 (1st – 2000s, 4th overall)
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Awards: None
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All-Star Games: 2011, 2015
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Honors: None
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Stanley Cup: 2009, 2016, 2017
After Matt Murray led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2017, the organization left Fleury exposed in the Vegas Golden Knights Expansion Draft.
As one of their top picks, he led the team to the Stanley Cup Final in their first season, losing to one of his longest rivals, Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
Fleury was brilliant during his four seasons with the Golden Knights, winning his one and only Vezina Trophy in 2020-21 and the William M. Jennings Trophy.
Surprisingly, the Golden Knights traded Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks, where he played only 45 games before another trade sent him to the Wild.
Over the past four seasons with Minnesota, Fleury became the second-winningest goalie in NHL history, surpassing a childhood idol, Patrick Roy.
Additionally, he became only the fourth goalie to play in 1,000 games. Fleury will tie Robert Luongo for the second most games played with his next start.
As a legendary prankster, his hijinks haven’t stopped at 40 as opponents honor one of the game’s great personalities. Fleury is planning on retiring after the 2024-25 season.
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