'Finally, right?' Marc-Andre Fleury passes Patrick Roy for second in all-time wins
History was made in Minnesota Monday afternoon as Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury picked up career win number 552, passing Patrick Roy to be second on the all-time wins list.
"Finally, right?" said Fleury to the attending media post-game. "It's been a little rough lately. I wish we could have done this a little while ago."
It was a long time coming after Fleury tied Roy for second when he notched career win number 551 back on Jan. 6, 2024, against the Columbus Blue Jackets. You could see the relief on his face as teammates mobbed him around the net for a group hug that was long overdue for a struggling team.
"My dream was to play in the NHL," Fleury continued. "I was so happy to play that first game. From then on, it was just one game at a time, one win at a time, trying to win the next one. I've been very fortunate to play with really great teams, great teammates, people that helped throughout the journey. It feels crazy to be here now."
How ironic is this? Roy's final game was against the Minnesota Wild in Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Andrew Brunette, now the head coach of the Nashville Predators, scored the overtime winner to end Roy's career. Fleury's idol growing up was Roy. Now Fleury passes Roy, playing for the team that ended Roy's career. Pretty cool how everything comes full circle.
Not only did Fleury pass Roy for second in all-time wins, but when he tied "St. Patrick," he became the fourth goalie to play in 1000 games in the NHL. That is an accomplishment in itself.
Fleury has had a remarkable Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks, and now the Wild. Over that span, not only has Fleury ranked up career win number 552, but he has a career goals against average of 2.59 and a .912 save percentage.
He won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was the starter in 2009 but played a pivotal role in the Penguins winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. He then took the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their very first season of existence.
Fleury was in fine form against the New York Islanders on Tuesday afternoon, recording his first shutout of the season. The best moments came when Fleury thanked the goalposts for helping him get the win.
As time wound down in the third period, the crowd gave Fleury the respect he deserved as 18,000 chanted his name. It is unclear if Fleury will retire this season. But after the reception he got on Tuesday night and earlier in the season in Montreal. It feels like this is his last season in the NHL.
The Wild will honor Fleury's accomplishments on February 9th when his former club, the Penguins, comes to town.
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