Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-AndrĆ© 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 couldnāt hide his emotion while reflecting about his time with āFlowerā.
Marc-AndrƩ 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 Sullivanās 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 goalieās agony. Crosby scored twice, though one was on an empty net.
TAMPA, FL ā JANUARY 27: Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Vegas Golden Knights and Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins pose during the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting during the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena on January 27, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
āGreat time playing together, itās been an honour to play with him and against him all these years,ā Crosby said postgame, via NHL on TNT. āWhat a job, heās 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 heās got another year and the recognition he deserves.ā
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End of an era
The relationship between the two has always been strong, though they couldnāt resist pushing each otherās buttons in their ongoing prank battle. Always trying to outdo one another, something memorable would always happen whenever Fleury faced Crosbyās Penguins. However, during their last matchup, it seems there was no time for any tomfoolery between the two.
āNo, we didnāt [hang out last night with Fleury], we got in late. Wasnāt able to do anything,ā Crosby said. āDefinitely 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.ā
Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins walks to the ice to practice for the 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park on January 01, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Perhaps, after all these years, the 40-year-old and 37-year-old veterans have finally exhausted their bag of tricks. Whatever the reason, itās 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.
