The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Minnesota Wild hosted a pregame ceremony to celebrate Marc-Andre Fleury. The Minnesota Wild goaltender moved into second place on the NHL’s all-time wins list, last month. Marc-Andre Fleury also reached the milestone of playing 1000 games in the NHL, becoming the 4th goaltender to do so in the competition’s history. “Flower” was gifted a customized painting by the penguins to celebrate the milestone of 1000 games and 552 wins.
A special gift for an amazing player, former teammate, and friend đŸ’› pic.twitter.com/06dFSGEFAV
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 9, 2024
The Wilds took a different approach to honor Fleury, they wore a special warmup jersey that had his name and number on it. The Wilds also released a tribute video of Fleury which walked the viewers through some special moments of the Canadian goaltender’s career. Penguins star and former teammate Sidney Crosby made a cameo in the video.
A timeless inspiration on and off the ice ♾ đŸŒ¸#mnwild pic.twitter.com/tAFpIAv94F
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 10, 2024
The Wilds went up against the Penguins after the ceremony, in which Fleury delivered a memorable performance. Fleury went on to make 34 saves and earned his team a 3-2 victory against his former side.
In 2003 Marc-Andre Fleury was the number 1 pick in the NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fleury has won a large number of titles throughout his entire career, the Stanley Cup Championship in 2009 with the Penguins, and a gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics. His performances during that tenure had earned him the team MVP in 2011 and his sole NHL All-Star appearance in that same year.
Fans react to Marc-Andre Fleury’s tribute video and painting.
Fleury’s solidity in front of the goal and comforting personality have made him a fan favorite since his initial playing days. Fans have showered him with love and well wishes on Twitter after his recent achievements
“That’s an amazing tribute for one of the greatest people, players, and goalies ever. Congrats Flower” One fan wrote on Twitter.
