Marc-André Fleury Knows He’s the Old Head of the NHL Playoffs: ‘I’m Closer to Their Parents Than to These Guys’
The man nicknamed Flower has summited the hockey mountaintop several times, winning three Stanley Cups during his 14-year run with the Pittsburgh Penguins, asserting himself as one of the toughest men in the world to get a puck past. His time in the Steel City also overlapped with some of the best players to ever bless the ice, from late-stage Mario Lemieux to prime Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Of Crosby, with whom he also won Olympic gold in 2010 while playing for Team Canada, Fleury says he will never forget the time they spent gaming in the sky.
“We sat next to each other on the plane for all these years and played video games, usually SOCOM,” Fleury remembered fondly. “Remember those old PSPs? We could link up, four against four or something like that. That was our game for, I don’t know how many years. We could talk about life, about hockey, anything that’s going on. I really appreciate that. I think our friendship grew in that time.”
When it comes to Malkin, the Russian behemoth whose jersey will one day hang in the rafters alongside Fleury’s and Crosby’s, the netminder’s memories are a little fuzzier. “He’s such a funny guy. He always has those one-liners with his broken English. I don’t know, probably better not to talk about it, but we’ve had a good time, having drinks and stuff at the bar…always good laughs with him, for sure. I feel like we hung out a bunch, but there’s nothing [specific] really that comes to my mind. [It’s all] a little crazy.”
With much more hockey in his past than in his future—the battle-tested veteran has announced his plans to retire whenever the Wild are eliminated from the playoffs—Fleury has naturally gained a different perspective on the sport that’s defined his life. When he won his first ring in 2009, Fleury was in the middle of everything, clinching the championship in a thrilling Game 7 with one of the most iconic saves in NHL history. But when the Pens won back-to-back Cups in 2016 and ‘17, it was wunderkind Matt Murray between the pipes for Pittsburgh, relegating Fleury to the bench for the first time in his career. Winning sports’ greatest trophy two years in a row while not playing a single second in either of the Stanley Cup Finals was, obviously, a bit bittersweet for Fleury.
“It was the first time in my career where I wouldn’t play very often, and I found it really hard actually,” he said of watching Murray take the job. “I love to compete and go out there and battle with the guys, so it’s sometimes frustrating just to sit on the bench and do nothing. Now, playing with Gus [Minnesota’s starting goalie Filip Gustavsson]—who’s been fantastic, such a great guy—but he’s also a fantastic goalie. I love cheering for the guy. I wish him all the best, and we have a great relationship. So, I think it’s gotten easier with time.”
