Marc-Andre Fleury Taking One Last Ride With Team Canada

When the Minnesota Wild saw their season come to an end at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights, it also meant the end of veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s NHL career. Before the start of the season, Fleury announced that the 2024-25 campaign would be the last one of his Hall of Fame career.

Thanks to the Wild’s early exit, Fleury has been given one more chance to continue playing before he hangs up the pads forever. Fleury announced that he will join Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships in Sweden and Denmark for what will likely be his final moments in professional hockey.

A native of Quebec, Fleury doesn’t have an expansive history representing Canada on the international stage but did win a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Serving as the third-string goalie behind Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo, that was the last time Fleury represented Canada.

Fleury will have some familiar faces when he suits up for Team Canada, as long-time teammate Sidney Crosby recently accepted his invitation to participate. Fleury and Crosby were teammates for 12 seasons and won the Stanley Cup three times together with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

When Fleury revealed he would represent Team Canada he joked that he’s putting off his retirement “just a little longer.”

“I went home and my kids were going crazy,” Fleury said. “I said ‘Jeez, I got to keep playing.’”

Fleury wasn’t sure if he was allowed to confirm or deny his involvement at that moment, but he let the cat out of the bag and Team Canada is sure to make things official in the near future.

“I’m excited to go,” Fleury said. “I’ve never played in the World Championship. And I haven’t played with Sid in a while, obviously, it’s going to be fun to spend some time together and yell at him in practice a bit.”

Fleury is nearing the end of one of the best careers ever put together by a goalie in the NHL. Second all-time in wins (575), second all-time in games played (1,051), three Stanley Cups, a Vezina Trophy in 2021, and was one of just three goalies to ever be selected first overall at the NHL Entry Draft.