Marc-André Fleury is coming again to the place all of it started — if just for one night time. The Pittsburgh Penguins introduced that the three-time Stanley Cup champion has signed knowledgeable tryout contract and can swimsuit up within the crew’s Sept. 27 preseason sport in opposition to the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Area. Fleury, 40, may also participate within the crew’s follow the day earlier than.
“The whole Penguins group is honored to welcome Marc-Andre Fleury again to the ice in Pittsburgh,” Penguins GM Kyle Dubas mentioned in an announcement. “This previous 12 months, everybody witnessed how beloved and revered Marc is within the sport of hockey, however the adoration goes past his accolades and profession. Marc means a lot to our crew, our followers and the Metropolis of Pittsburgh due to the particular person he’s and the instance he set. The Penguins really feel he and his household are most-deserving of this chance to have a good time this full-circle second again the place it began in entrance of the black and gold trustworthy.”
Fleury retired this previous spring after the 2024-25 season following a 22-year NHL profession that spanned 4 franchises, however his legacy stays firmly tied to Pittsburgh. Drafted No. 1 by the Penguins in 2003, the Sorel, Quebec, native spent his first 13 seasons with the membership, backstopping championship runs in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
By the point he departed to the Vegas Golden Knights within the 2017 growth draft, Fleury had set almost each main goaltending mark in crew historical past, together with most video games performed (691), wins (375) and shutouts (44). League-wide, his 575 profession victories rank second all-time, trailing solely Martin Brodeur. He additionally captured the 2021 Vezina Trophy with Vegas, additional cementing his Corridor of Fame credentials.
Fleury went on to play with the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild. Alongside the way in which, he appeared in 1,051 regular-season video games, posting 76 shutouts and recording 15 seasons with at the very least 20 wins.
Although the tryout is ceremonial moderately than a comeback, the night time will give Penguins followers one final probability to salute one of many best gamers in franchise historical past — and one of the enduring goaltenders the NHL has ever seen.
