Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-André Fleury is now embracing his last dance during the 2024-25 NHL season, which makes for very emotional matchups night in and night out. After facing his former teammate for the last time, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby couldn’t hide his emotion while reflecting about his time with ‘Flower’.
Marc-André Fleury is truly a one of one personality in the NHL, along with his goaltending abilities it helped him enroute to a remarkable career. His most iconic moments took place in The City of Bridges, where Fleury helped Crosby and company hoist three Stanley Cups.
Crosby and the Penguins had the game against the Wild circled in red, not only because of its magnitude as the Pens hope to stay alive in the postseason race, but because of the relationship between Fleury and many veterans on Mike Sullivan’s team.
Crosby and Evgeni Malkin made sure to make the most out of their last meeting on the ice with Fleury, as they both found the back of the net, for their delight and the Wild goalie’s agony. Crosby scored twice, though one was on an empty net.
“Great time playing together, it’s been an honour to play with him and against him all these years,” Crosby said postgame, via NHL on TNT. “What a job, he’s done. It was special, glad that we got to do it here today, Couple of times I thought he was going to retire earlier than this, so he’s got another year and the recognition he deserves.”
End of an era
The relationship between the two has always been strong, though they couldn’t resist pushing each other’s buttons in their ongoing prank battle. Always trying to outdo one another, something memorable would always happen whenever Fleury faced Crosby’s Penguins. However, during their last matchup, it seems there was no time for any tomfoolery between the two.
“No, we didn’t [hang out last night with Fleury], we got in late. Wasn’t able to do anything,” Crosby said. “Definitely on guard when I came to the rink today, checking my gear. I was a little tentative going into my hotel room, but everything checked out okay.“
Perhaps, after all these years, the 40-year-old and 37-year-old veterans have finally exhausted their bag of tricks. Whatever the reason, it’s hard to imagine this being the last time these two icons cross paths, but it undeniably marks the end of an era in the NHL.