Penguins honour Marc-Andre Fleury with tribute, standing ovation

In what could be his final appearance at PPG Paints Arena, the Pittsburgh Penguins paid tribute former goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

During Tuesday night’s game, the Penguins honoured the 39-year-old with a video on the jumbotron during the first T.V. timeout, which led to a standing ovation from the crowd and chants of “Fleury, Fleury!”

After more than two decades in the big leagues — the first 13 years of them spent in black and gold — Fleury announced in the summer that the 2024-25 campaign would be his last. He’s suited up against the Penguins nine times since leaving town, logging four years in Vegas and a season in Chicago before beginning what’s become a four-year stint with Minnesota.

The Sorel, Que., native joined the Penguins as the club’s No. 1 pick in 2003, debuting for the club in October of that same year. He went on to appear in nearly 700 games in a Penguins sweater, winning three Stanley Cups with the franchise. He remains the club’s all-time leader in wins, shutouts and games played in the cage, among a number of other categories.

Fans were on hand Monday to catch an early glimpse of the one affectionately known as The Flower around these parts, filling the stands at the practice rink. A rare scheduling quirk had the Wild and Penguins overlapping at the facility, Fleury and his club watching on from the other side of the glass as Crosby and Co. ran through their drills on the sheet.

After Minnesota wrapped up their own practice, Fleury walked by another pad where kids from the local Penguins Excel Hockey Academy were running through a tune-up session of their own. The veteran hopped on to join them, taking a few shots from the teenaged hopefuls, who could barely contain their excitement as they wired pucks at No. 29. 

Even before Fleury got out on the ice for Tuesday’s game, one of his former teammates decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. As Fleury went to his stall in the locker room, his gear was wrapped in tape and one of his goalie sticks had a special message on it.

The person responsible for the prank was Max Talbot, who was a longtime teammate of Fleury’s, winning a Stanley Cup together in 2009. Talbot knows what Fleury is capable of considering his reputation as a prankster and was willing to risk potential payback.

“I gotta be careful now, my car and everything,” Talbot said in the social media video as he was taping up Fleury’s equipment. “I’m gonna have a target on my back the rest of my life.”

Judging by Fleury’s reaction to Talbot’s prank, the former NHLer should be worried about retaliation.