Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 27th at 7 p.m. when the Pittsburgh Penguins face the Columbus Blue Jackets because legendary goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will play one more time. Fleury, the Penguins first-overall pick in 2003, hasn't worn the classic black and gold jersey since the Vegas Golden Knights took him in the 2017 Expansion Draft, so this will be an unforgettable evening of preseason hockey.
And what a way for Fleury to end his career, thanks to all the contributions he made to the Penguins during his 13-season run with the team. While in Pittsburgh, Fleury helped the Pens reach four Stanley Cup Finals, winning three of them in 2009, 2016, and 2017, and fans will remember him as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, netminder in team history.
Fleury played in 691 games for Pittsburgh, snagging 536 starts, 375 wins, a 0.912 save percentage, a 2.58 GAA, and 44 shutouts. And his high-octane play continued after he moved on to Vegas, before making stops with the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.
Fleury also won a few awards throughout his career, including four All-Star Game selections, and the Vezina Trophy in 2021 following his final season with the Golden Knights. He also won the Jennings Trophy that season, and snagged a Second-Team All-Star recognition.
Marc-Andre Fleury's last ride with the Pittsburgh Penguins will bring in fans from all over the NHL
It's not often that you see too much hype surrounding exhibition games. Most of the time, fans looking to see how a team's latest first-round draft pick fares or if they're looking for a measuring stick for high-end prospects take any interest in the preseason.
But I'll guarantee you that the Steel City will be rocking for this one, as fans in attendance and those watching around the United States and the world will tune in to see Fleury end his career in a Penguins uniform.
It's yet another classy move for the Penguins organization, since, as you might recall, they held something similar for Jaromir Jagr a couple seasons back when he skated with the team during warm-ups, dressed in the full uniform.
Very rarely do we see storied careers end like this, though, with a legend taking the ice in an actual game, able to say he retired with the same team he started his career with over two decades ago. It's gonna be a fun game to watch.
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