Penguins giving three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury a beautiful send-off

Players signing a one-day tryout with a team so they can officially file their retirement paperwork as a member of that team is not a new thing in sports. It's actually pretty common when a popular player leaves a franchise during their playing days. But giving Fleury one last opportunity to suit up with the team he began his career with is definitely an interesting touch — and one that is going to make this one of the most sought-after preseason tickets you could ever imagine.

Given the Penguins' on-ice struggles the past couple of years, as well as their rebuilding phase, this might be their biggest and most energetic crowd of the season.

Fleury helped bring championships to Pittsburgh

The Penguins originally selected Fleury with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft and made him the focal point of their rebuild at the time. He was the first of a new wave of talent that brought new hope and excitement to the franchise, and was later joined by the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang to build the core of a team that would win three Stanley Cups and play in four Stanley Cup Finals over the next 15 years. 

Fleury was the Penguins' starting goalie on the 2007-08 team that lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Detroit Red Wings, and also the next year when they beat the Red Wings in 2008-09 to win the Stanley Cup.

While he eventually lost his starting job in the mid-2010s to Matt Murray, Fleury also played significant roles in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 championship teams. Following that 2017 season, however, the Penguins had to make a big decision in net and opted to send Fleury to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft and instead keep the younger and cheaper Murray. 

Fleury is second on the NHL's all-time wins list with 575, and along with his three championships and Vezina Trophy (2020-21 season), he has put together a Hall of Fame resume. Along with the Penguins and Golden Knights, he has also played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild. 

It is hard to find a player across the league who is more universally beloved and respected than Fleury, and no city felt that connection more than Pittsburgh. That makes his send-off all the more appropriate as he gets to play one more game in the city his Hall of Fame career began in.