NHL

NHL News: Former Penguins, Sidney Crosby teammate Marc-Andre Fleury makes bold comment on retirement

After announcing he will be retiring after the 2024-25 NHL season, Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury issued a bold statement, shutting the door on possible reunion with Pittsburgh Penguins legend Sidney Crosby.

Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins rides in the Victory Parade and Rally on June 14, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
© Justin Berl/Getty ImagesMarc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins rides in the Victory Parade and Rally on June 14, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

It’s truly the end of an era. After an outstanding 21-year career in the NHL, Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is retiring at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Fleury, who established a very close friendship with Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, has provided the league with outstanding saves night in and night out. Ahead of the last games of his career, Fleury dropped a definite statement on his decision to retire.

Fleury was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the first overall selection in the 2003 NHL entry Draft. As with any No. 1 pick, the bar was set extremely high for Fleury, yet he surpassed it shortly thereafter. Fleury became only the fourth goalie to play in 1,000+ games in the league.

Up until today’s date, Fleury has appeared in 1,039 games, registering 570 wins, and 75 shutouts. Fluery’s accolades include three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, 2016, and 2017. During his 13 years in Steel City, Fleury and Crosby became very close friends, and have stayed in touch since Fleury left Pittsburgh after being claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2017 Expansion Draft. As a Golden Knight, Fleury won his single Vezina Trophy during the 2020-21 season.

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Whenever Crosby’s Penguins and Fleury’s teams met, the two would play pranks on each other and reminisce about their glory days with the Black and Gold. Their great relationship fueled hopes of a reunion in Pittsburgh for one last run together. However, the Wild have made it clear they are not interested in trading ‘Flower,’ as they gear up—hopefully—for a deep playoff run.

Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with the Stanley Cup trophy after defeating the Nashville Predators 2-0 in Game Six of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Bridgestone Arena on June 11, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with the Stanley Cup trophy after defeating the Nashville Predators 2-0 in Game Six of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Bridgestone Arena on June 11, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Meanwhile Fleury has issued a definite statement about his decision to retire at the end of the current season.

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No chance,” Fleury sentenced, when asked if he’d consider playing another season, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. “I can’t be doing this every year, ‘Oh, one more, one more.‘”

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Last shot

Fleury made a decision coming into this season and has no intention of backtracking on his words. Thus, Fleury is riding out his final NHL season, and with it his last shot at a fourth Stanley Cup, at least as a goalie.

Fleury’s current team, the Minnesota Wild, is counting on him to rediscover his postseason magic and help them capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. For the organization in the State of Hockey, it’s a long-overdue achievement. It’s one of life’s ironic contradictions that a team from Minnesota has never hoisted Lord Stanley.

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High hopes in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

Though Fleury serves as the second goalie for the Wild, behind Filip Gustavsson who is putting sensational numbers, his time may come at a pivotal moment to lead the team. Gustavsson registers the NHL’s sixth-best save percentage between goaltenders with at least ten games played. Moreover, Gustavsson recorded three shutouts throughout the campaign.

Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Minnesota Wild looks on against the St. Louis Blues in the first period in Game Two of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center on May 4, 2022 in St Paul, Minnesota.

Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Minnesota Wild looks on against the St. Louis Blues in the first period in Game Two of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center on May 4, 2022 in St Paul, Minnesota.

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The Wild currently sit in second place in the Central Division, behind the Winnipeg Jets. With 58 points in 44 games, Minnesota is 11 points clear the first team out in the Western Conference, and looking like a lock to make the Playoffs.

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However, the bigger question surrounding the team is whether they can finally lay their postseason ghosts to rest. The Wild hasn’t won a playoff series since the 2014-15 season and hasn’t advanced past the second round since the 2002-03 campaign—one year before Fleury entered the league.

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