Marc-Andre Fleury by no means performed a sport for the Canadiens, however Montreal made certain to say au revoir in its personal particular manner.
Fleury, the Sorel-Tracy, Quebec native and retiring NHL goaltender, received a particular therapy in his dwelling province in what was probably his Montreal swan track after he led the Wild to a 4-0 victory over the Habs.
After Fleury stopped 19 photographs in his 76th NHL shutout, he was given a rousing ovation from the Montreal crowd as he was mobbed by his personal teammates as the ultimate horn sounded.
On prime of that, your entire Canadiens lineup waited for him at heart ice, every participant giving him a handshake earlier than he skated over to the workforce’s teaching workers on the bench.
As Fleury led the Wild — who waited for him, stick-tapping all of the whereas — off the ice, he waved to the adoring crowd.
He was then the primary Minnesota participant down the customer’s tunnel.
Earlier than the sport began, Bell Centre cheered him loudly as he was proven on the video board above the ice through the enjoying of the Canadian nationwide anthem.
A second act got here throughout a TV timeout through the third interval, the video board gave him one other tribute as the group held up sounds and chanted his final title time and again.
The No. 1 general draft decide in 2003 is in the course of his closing season, his twenty first within the NHL, in what has been a memorable profession for the netminder.
Fleury has gained three Stanley Cups, gained the Vezina Trophy through the 2021 playoffs and is second on the all-time wins checklist for a goalie (571).
He’ll get an opportunity for another Cup earlier than his profession is over, because the Wild sit in second within the Western Convention with 66 factors.