Together with his look within the Minnesota Wild’s 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, Marc-Andre Fleury
has formally joined one of the vital unique golf equipment in all of hockey, enjoying in his 1,000th NHL recreation on Sunday afternoon.
Whereas a whole bunch of skaters have managed the feat, solely three different goaltenders have had careers lengthy sufficient and performances sturdy sufficient to succeed in the mark — Martin Brodeur (1,266 Video games), Roberto Luongo (1,044) and Patrick Roy (1,029).
The trio is arguably three of the perfect 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 in a position to change into the winningest goalie in membership historical past with 375 wings via a team-high 691 video games performed. But it surely 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 Remaining because of a blinding .933 save share in 20 begins. He instantly grew to become 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 file a .908 save share in 24 video games through the 2009 playoffs, serving to elevate 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 function to the recent hand of rookie Matt Murray through the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Murray would go on to guide the Penguins to a different Stanley Cup win, on the again of a .923 save share in 21 video games.
Fleury would proceed in Pittsburgh for yet one more season, platooning with Murray through the 2017 postseason, however the writing was on the wall — and after Murray gained over the beginning function 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 choose to incentivize them to take Fleury int he 2017 NHL Enlargement Draft.
The Golden Knights had been shortly rewarded for taking the veteran, with Fleury bouncing instantly again to his postseason kind — main Vegas to the Stanley Cup Remaining of their first yr with a .927 save share in 20 video games.
He continued to thrive within the postseason with Vegas, setting a mixed .914 save share 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 choose. Now 39 years previous, Fleury is relishing on a profitable .905 save share and 39-23-6 file in three years with the Wild. He’s misplaced the on a regular basis starter function 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 change into a free agent on the finish of this season.
If he decides to name it a profession, he will likely 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 recreation can mix with all of his different accolades to earn Fleury a Corridor of Fame induction.
