Fleury’s final farewell to the NHL
Photo courtesy of Michael Miller/Wikimedia Commons
In every sport, there are the greats, players who have etched their name into the history of their respective game. One great belonging to the National Hockey League (NHL), goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, bid his final farewell in a preseason game on Sept. 27, 2025. Fleury took the ice as a Penguin one final time against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third period, taking over for rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov, and defending the Penguins' lead with a 4-1 win.
Fleury officially retired from the NHL as a member of the Minnesota Wild at the end of last season, but signed a ceremonial professional tryout contract in early September to reunite with old teammates and friends, bringing his time in the league to a nostalgic and full-circle close.
For all Penguins fans and much of the NHL fanbase, seeing Fleury play with his old teammates one last time was truly a magical moment. With Fleury in between the pipes, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at center, and Kris Letang on the blue line, it was just like watching the Penguins before Fleury joined the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017.
The minute Fleury hit the ice, he received a standing ovation, and for good reason. Fleury made his first save of the game four minutes in, stopping a slapshot from defenseman Brendan Smith. He earned the first star of the game, which is a part of ice hockey’s Three Stars, meaning that the three stars are the best players in a game, with the “first star” being considered the best of the three.
Taking a look back at Fleury’s legendary career, the numbers speak for themselves. Starting in Pittsburgh, Fleury was taken number one overall by the Penguins in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and spent the first 13 seasons of his career there. He appeared in 691 regular-season games with Pittsburgh, going 375-216-68 with a .912 Save Percentage (SV%) and a 2.65 Goals Against Average (GAA).
In the postseason, Fleury appeared in 115 Stanley Cup Playoff games as a Penguin, going 62-51 with a .908 SV% and a 2.65 GAA. During his stint with the Penguins, Fleury helped lead Pittsburgh to three Stanley Cup championships in 2009, 2016, and 2017, and was the starting goaltender in 2009.
For the rest of his NHL career, Fleury joined the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, where he earned the Vezina Trophy for the first time in his illustrious career as the league’s top goaltender. He also played a season with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2021-22 season before finally rounding out his time in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild.
During his final season with the Wild, Fleury went 14-9-1, posting an .899 SV% and a 2.93 GAA in 26 appearances. He capped off his professional hockey career with an impressive showing with Team Canada at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Championship.
Fleury’s numbers no doubt speak for themselves, but I can also spell it out in layman’s terms for you. Fleury is second only to goaltender Martin Brodeur in all of NHL history, with 575 wins and 1,051 regular-season games, and his 76 shutouts have him in 10th place in NHL history. He also holds a majority of the Penguins' goaltending records, including games played (691), wins (375), goals-against average (2.58), shutouts (44), playoff games (115), playoff wins (62), and playoff shutouts (10).
Fleury spoke on the game and the opportunity to play with Pittsburgh one more time, saying, “I feel bad because I've done so many laps and goodbyes, and I keep coming back…I'm thankful I got the opportunity to come back for one more go-around.”
Fleury officially retires as one of the NHL’s all-time great goaltenders, leaving behind impressive numbers, multiple championships, and a lasting impact on every team he played for. His final appearance with Pittsburgh provided a fitting close to a career that spanned more than two decades and left its mark on the league.