Marc-Andre Fleury up to 2nd in NHL goalie wins
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury thanked the crossbar after a puck clanked off it, made solid saves on his own and was mobbed by celebrating teammates Monday night.
But it wasn’t just another typical Fleury victory. He picked up win No. 552 to pass Patrick Roy, whom he idolized while growing up in Quebec, as the second-winningest goaltender in NHL history behind Martin Brodeur (691).
The Flower did it with a flourish, making 21 saves for his 74th career shutout in the Minnesota Wild’s 5-0 win against the New York Islanders.
“My dream was to play in the NHL. I was so happy to play in that first game,” he told reporters. “From there on, it was just one game at a time, one win at a time, just try to win the next one.
“I’ve been very fortunate to play with many great teams, great teammates, people who helped me stay healthy through the journey. It’s so crazy to be here now.”
Fleury, 39, is in the final year on his contract with the Wild. He hasn’t said yet whether this will be his last season in the NHL, but when he finally does retire, he has stamped himself a trip to join Brodeur, Roy and other goalies in the Hall of Fame.
Here’s why:
No. 1 pick made it count
The Pittsburgh Penguins took him with top pick in 2003. That’s a rarity for goalies to be taken that high. Fleury was just the third, and he outshined both goalies who went No. 1 overall. Michel Plasse (1968) played in 298 games. Rick DiPietro (2000) was an All-Star in 2008 but played only 318 games before a series of injuries led the New York Islanders to buy out his 15-year contract. Fleury has played in 1,007 games, is a fourtime All-Star and won the Vezina Trophy in 2020-21.
Owns three Stanley Cups titles
He led the Penguins to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Detroit Red Wings. The following season, he helped the Penguins beat the Red Wings, robbing defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom in the dying seconds of Game 7. He added two more Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Fleury had a strong season in 2015-16 but suffered a concussion, and Matt Murray took over. Fleury played only two games during the 2016 playoffs, but he got the Penguins through the first two rounds in 2017 after a Murray injury. Fleury shut out the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the second round. He also had a shutout in Game 2 of the conference final against the Ottawa Senators before Murray replaced him in Game 3 and finished the run.
Made Golden Knights instant contenders
Fleury went from Stanley Cup champion to No. 1 goalie on an expansion team. The Golden Knights benefited from better expansion draft rules than previous first-year teams, but having Fleury was important. He went 29-13-4 with a 2.24 goals-against average and .927 save percentage as the Golden Knights won the Pacific Division. He put up nearly identical numbers as Vegas reached the Stanley Cup Final, winning Game 1 before losing to the Capitals in five games. The Golden Knights made the playoffs every season he was there. Fleury won the Vezina Trophy in his final season in Vegas, at age 36.
Has beaten every NHL team
The Golden Knights traded Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks after his Vezina season, and he was dealt to the Wild later in the 2021-22 season. He has at least one victory against every NHL team: N.Y. Rangers (34), Philadelphia (32), N.Y. Islanders (29), Montreal (27), Washington (27), New Jersey (24), Buffalo (23), Winnipeg (23), Anaheim (22), Tampa Bay (21), Ottawa (20), Toronto (19), Carolina (19), Florida (18), San Jose (18), Arizona (17), Colorado (16), Edmonton (16), Columbus (15), Vancouver (15), Boston (14), Chicago (14), Calgary (14), Dallas (13), Los Angeles (12), Detroit (12), St. Louis (11), Nashville (11), Minnesota (7), Pittsburgh (4), Seattle (4), Vegas (1).