Marc-Andre Fleury looked forward to Thursday’s visit by his Minnesota Wild to face the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
The 40-year-old goaltender, who announced in April that this would be his final NHL season, grew up a Canadiens fan in Sorel, Quebec, which is about an hour’s drive from Montreal. Unless the Wild and Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Final, this matchup looked like Fleury’s last on home soil. That’s why the veteran asked to be the starting goaltender.
«Yes, I want to start in Montreal. I’ve already spoken to Fred Chabot, my goaltending coach with the Wild. I mentioned to him that the game in Montreal was important to me,» Fleury said Tuesday. «We play in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday and then in Montreal on Thursday. With two games in two nights, I know I have a good chance to play against the Canadiens. We should be able to split the starts between Filip Gustavsson and myself.»
«I’m not looking for attention or any kind of special welcome. I like playing on the road and having the fans be against me. I know the Canadiens have been playing really good hockey the last few weeks and the fans will want to see their team win. That’s normal. I’ll be happy to play another game against the Canadiens, my favourite team when I was a kid.»
Fleury expected a lot of people to come out to see it.
«There will be a lot of people in the stands, even more than last year,» he said. «I know there will be a bus coming from Sorel. I will have several of my family members and friends there. My wife (Veronique) will also be traveling from Minnesota with our three children. I have to thank my sister (Marylene) for organizing everything with the people in Sorel.”
“I will share that game with my loved ones. Since I was young, my family and friends have always been there for me, in good times and bad. I hope we play a good game and get off to a good start. I wouldn’t want to be showered with goals. I would like both teams to put on a good show.”
The night ended up being unbeatable for Fleury. He was welcomed as a hero in Montreal and helped Minnesota take the win with a 4-0 shutout.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion received a long standing ovation and fans chanted “Fleury! Fleury! Fleury!” when he was honoured on the stadium screen for his “legendary career” during a television timeout with 7:45 left in the third period.
“I was a little nervous about this game, playing my last one here at home in Quebec, in front of my family, in front of my friends,” he said. “I’m glad everything went well. I was just hoping I didn’t let in six goals.”
Fleury engineered his 19-0 shutout for his 76th career NHL shutout. He tied Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito for 10th in NHL history in this regard.
“I wish we were on the other side tonight (Thursday),” Canadiens right forward Josh Anderson said. “But obviously you have a lot of respect for a goalie like him who has been an inspiration to a lot of kids, especially people in Montreal, and who has won the Stanley Cup and had a great career. He put on a show tonight, that’s for sure.”
Fleury also became the first goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout both as a teenager and at age 40 or older. Additionally, the veteran goaltender has recorded at least one shutout in 21 seasons, surpassing Terry Sawchuk (20) and tying Martin Brodeur for the most in NHL history.
«Guys would have blocked shots with their faces if we had to, honestly. That’s how committed we were to this game,» said Wild center forward Frederick Gaudreau, who scored one of the game-winning goals. «Every game is important and in this league you can’t take a night off, but this one had a very special flavor and you could feel it. Everyone was completely focused and ready to play.»
Minnesota (31-17-4) won its third game in a row. They had beaten the Maple Leafs 3-1 on Wednesday. And on Sunday they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Wild have a 20-5-3 record on the road and the most wins on the road in the NHL, one more than last season (19-18-4).