Apr 29, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) celebrates with Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) after defeating the Washington Capitals 6-2 during the third period in game two of the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Marc-Andre Fleury Finishing Where It Started With Penguins

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets meet for a preseason contest at PPG Paints Arena, but the imminent matchup carries more emotional weight than any previous one. This will be the final time that beloved goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will lace up his skates in an NHL competition.

It’s also the final time that Fleury will don the Penguins uniform, something he hasn’t done in an NHL game since the 2017 season. The former 2003 first-overall pick was the first member of the new generation of Pittsburgh hockey, the same core that would win three cups between 2009 and 2017. Now, he gets the chance to play one more time, as he’s set to play in a period against the Blue Jackets in front of the Pittsburgh crowd.

For Fleury, it’s about finishing where things started. While he retired officially as a member of the Minnesota Wild, an organization he holds dear in his heart, playing one more time for the Penguins and Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“(Out of) respect for Minnesota, I didn’t want to say I was retiring a Penguin, just because that's where I played my last game, my last real game, in Minnesota,” he told NHL.com. “Obviously, they were very good to me there also. But it's a huge opportunity. I'm very thankful to finish where everything started for me.”

Fleury concludes his NHL career one of the all-time best. He appeared in over 1,000 games during his career and amassed the second-most games played and wins earned by a goaltender in the NHL. His 575 wins and 1,051 games played are second only to Hockey Hall of Fame member Martin Brodeur. His 76 shutouts are the 10th most in NHL history as well.

He also sits as the Penguins organization’s winningest goalie in franchise history. He recorded 375 wins in 691 games played in a Pittsburgh uniform, the most in team history. He also posted a goals-against average of 2.58 during his tenure in Pittsburgh, which is the second-best figure in franchise history.

It’s been 22 years since the Penguins selected Fleury with the first pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. That choice kicked off one of the most successful careers of a goalie in league history. The journey might be concluding for Fleury, but it’s an incredibly special opportunity for the Flower to finish that journey where it all began - in Pittsburgh in front of a devoted audience with three teammates he started that odyssey with.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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