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Along with his look within the Minnesota Wild’s 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, Marc-Andre Fleury
has officially joined one of the most exclusive clubs in all of hockey, taking part in in his 1,000th NHL sport on Sunday afternoon.
Whereas lots of of skaters have managed the feat, solely three different goaltenders have had careers lengthy sufficient and performances robust sufficient to achieve the mark — Martin Brodeur (1,266 Video games), Roberto Luongo (1,044) and Patrick Roy (1,029).
The trio is arguably three of the most effective goaltenders of all time and can now be joined by Fleury, whose 55% win-percentage is the very best of any of the 4 goalies.
Fleury’s path to this milestone got here largely because of his 13 years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the place the French Canadian was capable of turn into the winningest goalie in membership historical past with 375 wings by way of a team-high 691 video games performed. However it was Fleury’s postseason performances that turned him right into a legend for one of many league’s most prolific golf equipment.
Fleury established himself because the staff’s long-term starter within the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, carrying the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Last because of a blinding .933 save proportion in 20 begins. He instantly turned the man within the 2008-09 season, rating eighth within the league with 62 video games performed.
The most important uptick in ice time didn’t faze Fleury, who held it collectively sufficient to report a .908 save proportion in 24 video games in the course of the 2009 playoffs, serving to carry the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup in 17 years.
However as a lot because it constructed up his early profession, postseason performances had been additionally the downfall of Fleury’s time in Pittsburgh, who finally misplaced his beginning position to the new hand of rookie Matt Murray in the course of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Murray would go on to steer the Penguins to a different Stanley Cup win, on the again of a .923 save proportion in 21 video games.
Fleury would proceed in Pittsburgh for yet another season, platooning with Murray in the course of the 2017 postseason, however the writing was on the wall — and after Murray received over the beginning position en path to a second Cup, it was time for Fleury to maneuver on. The Penguins traded the Vegas Golden Knights a second-round draft decide to incentivize them to take Fleury int he 2017 NHL Growth Draft.
The Golden Knights had been rapidly rewarded for taking the veteran, with Fleury bouncing instantly again to his postseason kind — main Vegas to the Stanley Cup Last of their first yr with a .927 save proportion in 20 video games.
He continued to thrive within the postseason with Vegas, setting a mixed .914 save proportion over his subsequent three seasons with the staff, which noticed 27 playoff video games.
Fleury moved away from the Golden Knights in 2021, briefly becoming a member of the Chicago Blackhawks earlier than being traded to the Minnesota Wild for a conditional second-round decide. Now 39 years previous, Fleury is relishing on a profitable .905 save proportion and 39-23-6 report in three years with the Wild. He’s misplaced the on a regular basis starter position to Filip Gustavsson however nonetheless boasts an .893 in 14 video games this yr.
It’s been a prolific profession for Fleury, emphasised by a gold medal win on the 2010 Winter Olympics and a Vezina Trophy and William Jennings Trophy win within the 2020-21 season. Fleury is ready to turn into a free agent on the finish of this season.
If he decides to name it a profession, he shall be retiring as one of many winningest goaltenders of all time — certainly one of solely 21 goaltenders to win three or extra Stanley Cups and ranked within the high 10 of all-time wins.
The query now turns into whether or not his 1,000th sport can mix with all of his different accolades to earn Fleury a Corridor of Fame induction.
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