With his appearance in Minnesota’s 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, Marc-Andre Fleury has officially joined one of the most exclusive clubs in all of hockey, playing in his 1,000th NHL game. While hundreds of skaters have managed the feat, only three other goaltenders have had careers long enough and performances strong enough to reach the mark – Martin Brodeur (1,266 Games), Roberto Luongo (1,044), and Patrick Roy (1,029). The trio is arguably three of the best goaltenders of all time and will now be joined by Fleury, whose 55 percent win-percentage is the highest of any of the four goalies.
Fleury’s path to this milestone came largely thanks to his 13 years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where the French Canadian was able to become the winningest goalie in club history with 375 wings through a team-high 691 games played. But it was Fleury’s postseason performances that turned him into a legend for one of the league’s most prolific clubs. Fleury established himself as the team’s long-term starter in the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, carrying the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals thanks to a dazzling .933 save percentage in 20 starts. He immediately became the guy in the 2008-09 season, ranking eighth in the league with 62 games played. The major uptick in ice time didn’t faze Fleury, who held it together enough to record a .908 save percentage in 24 games during the 2009 Playoffs, helping lift the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup in 17 years.
But as much as it built up his early career, postseason performances were also the downfall of Fleury’s time in Pittsburgh, who ultimately lost his starting role to the hot hand of rookie Matt Murray during the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Murray would go on to lead the Penguins to another Stanley Cup win, on the back of a .923 save percentage in 21 games. Fleury would continue in Pittsburgh for one more season, platooning with Murray during the 2017 postseason, but the writing was on the wall – and after Murray won over the starting role en route to a second Cup, it was time for Fleury to move on. The Penguins traded the Vegas Golden Knights a second-round draft pick to incentivize them to take Fleury int he 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
The Golden Knights were quickly rewarded for taking the veteran, with Fleury bouncing immediately back to his postseason form – leading Vegas to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year with a .927 save percentage in 20 games. He continued to thrive in the postseason with Vegas, setting a combined .914 save percentage over his next three seasons with the team, which saw 27 playoff games.
Fleury moved away from the Golden Knights in 2021, briefly joining the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to the Minnesota Wild for a conditional second-round pick. Now 39 years old, Fleury is relishing on a successful .905 save percentage and 39-23-6 record in three years with the Wild. He’s lost the everyday starter role to Filip Gustavsson but still boasts an .893 in 14 games this year.
It’s been a prolific career for Fleury, emphasized by a Gold Medal win at the 2010 Winter Olympics and a Vezina Trophy and William Jennings Trophy win in the 2020-21 season. Fleury is set to become a free agent at the end of this season. If he decides to call it a career, he will be retiring as one of the winningest goaltenders of all time – one of only 21 goaltenders to win three-or-more Stanley Cups and ranked in the top 10 of all-time wins. The question now becomes whether his 1,000th game can combine with all of his other accolades to earn Fleury a Hall of Fame induction.
1,000 game’s and and another L! GO AWAY! It’s embarrassing!
How many games in the NHL do you have Wilf? One of the best of all time I’d love to watch him keep playing.
Why wouldn’t he be first year ballot?
He’s sure-fire HOF.
All you need to know. He is one of most liked players in the league. Nice guys don:t always finish last.
There is NO doubt about MAF being a sure thing in the HOF! But the last three seasons have been tough to watch, He’s another guy that hung around to long and now It’s embarrassing to watch!
That 2020-21 Veinza probably is what has kept him going. He was starting to decline before that season, but picked it up during it, and I guess some teams thought he had more in the tank.
I think he’s done, unless he wants a backup/mentor cup chase role on a contender next year.
Elite French Canadiens in front of the net
When Fleury played junior in Cape Breton, he’d occasionally join our Friday night pickup game. He wore his goalie skates and played forward – he’s got good hands. Down to earth guy – class act. Congrats.
Playing forward in goalie skates is HARD.
That’s a cool story. Thank’s for sharing.
Gods, what question? He might not be one of those when-the-hell else decisions like Brodeur, but he’s going into the HHOF, and he deserves if well.
Mad respect for one of the greats.
There is no question he’s worthy of the Hall of Fame. He was very close based on his international play and Penguins career before the expansion draft as it was. Leading a new franchise to success, winning some regular season hardware, and being a well-liked guy off the ice cemented his status as a special player and not just a guy who hung on Crosby’s coattails.