Marc-Andre Fleury

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

As a youth, Fleury played in the 1998 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the College-Français Rive-Sud minor ice hockey team from South Shore, Montreal. Fleury played junior ice hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles beginning in 2000–01. After a strong 2002–03 campaign that included a silver medal with Canada's junior team at the World Junior Championships, QMJHL Second Team All-Star honours, the Mike Bossy Trophy as the league's top prospect and the Telus Cup as the top defensive player, he was chosen first overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins acquired the first overall pick from the Florida Panthers in a trade that sent Mikael Samuelsson and the third overall pick to the Panthers in exchange for the first overall pick and the 73rd overall pick. He is only the third goalie to be chosen first overall in the NHL entry draft, after Michel Plasse and Rick DiPietro. Playing three full seasons and part of a fourth with Cape Breton, Fleury's jersey number (29) was later retired by the club in his fourth NHL season on January 25, 2008.

In Their Own Story

The lights dimmed over T-Mobile Arena as the second period wound down. The air was thick with humidity and anticipation. Marc-Andre Fleury stood on his knees, mask reflecting the glare of the floodlights. A shot came screaming from the blue line, defying physics. For that split second, the desert city held its breath, united behind the man in black and gold.

Reader's Guide

Fleury immediately made his NHL debut during the 2003–04 season as the youngest goaltender in the league at 18 years old (three years younger than the second-youngest, Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders). He appeared in his first NHL game on October 10, 2003, against the Los Angeles Kings, recording an impressive 46-save performance, which included a penalty shot save, in a 3–0 loss. Fleury recorded his first NHL win in his very next start, on October 18, with 31 saves in a 4–3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. His first NHL shutout came on October 30, in a 1–0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Fleury shared time with goaltenders Jean-Sébastien Aubin and Sébastien Caron and lived up to first-overall-pick expectations early, earning Rookie of the Month honours in October, with a 2–2–2 record, 1.96 goals against average (GAA) and .943 save percentage. As the season progressed, however, his performance began to sink, mainly due to Pittsburgh's poor defence. He was loaned to Canada's junior team for the 2004 World Junior Championships and, upon returning with a second consecutive silver medal, he was sent back to the QMJHL on January 29, 2004. In light of financial difficulties for the franchise, it is believed Fleury's $3 million contract bonus, which he would have potentially received if he stayed and met several performance goals, was a factor in the decision to return him to Cape Breton. To no avail, Fleury offered to forfeit his bonus to remain with the club. Fleury finished the QMJHL season with Cape Breton in a first round elimination and was subsequently assigned to Pittsburgh's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and appeared in two postseason games. As NHL play was postponed due to the labour dispute, Fleury continued to play with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the 2004–05 AHL season, where he posted a 26–19–4 record, a 2.52 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. When NHL play resumed in 2005–06, Fleury started the season once more in the minors, but was quickly called up by Pittsburgh for a game against the Buffalo Sabres on October 10, to replace an injured Jocelyn Thibault. He continued to play between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Pittsburgh until November 28, after which he remained with Pittsburgh. With the Penguins finishing last in the Eastern Conference and allowing a league-worst 316 goals, Fleur

Did You Know?

• Fleury is only the third goalie to be chosen first overall in the NHL entry draft, after Michel Plasse and Rick DiPietro.
• Fleury's jersey number (29) was retired by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in his fourth NHL season on January 25, 2008.
• Fleury is the fourth goaltender to ever reach the 500 victories mark in the NHL, after Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, and Roberto Luongo.

Early Career and Historic Draft Selection

Marc-André Fleury's journey began in South Shore, Montreal, where he competed in the 1998 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the College-Français Rive-Sud minor ice hockey team. He played junior ice hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles beginning in 2000–01. After a strong 2002–03 campaign that included a silver medal with Canada's junior team at the World Junior Championships, QMJHL Second Team All-Star honours, the Mike Bossy Trophy as the league's top prospect and the Telus Cup as the top defensive player, he was chosen first overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is only the third goalie to be chosen first overall in the NHL entry draft, after Michel Plasse and Rick DiPietro. Playing four seasons total with Cape Breton, Fleury's jersey number (29) was later retired by the club in his fourth NHL season on January 25, 2008.

Pittsburgh Penguins Tenure and Stanley Cup Glory

Fleury immediately made his NHL debut during the 2003–04 season as the youngest goaltender in the league at 18 years old. He appeared in his first NHL game on October 10, 2003, against the Los Angeles Kings, recording an impressive 46-save performance, which included a penalty shot save, in a 3–0 loss. Fleury recorded his first NHL win in his very next start, on October 18, with 31 saves in a 4–3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. His first NHL shutout came on October 30, in a 1–0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. During his 13 seasons with the team, Fleury won Stanley Cup championships in 2009, 2016, and 2017. He earned his 40th win in a 2–1 victory over the New York Rangers in the season finale, joining Tom Barrasso as the only Penguins goaltenders to record 40 wins in a season. He also broke Johan Hedberg's single season franchise record for most games and minutes played.

Vegas Expansion and Individual Accolades

After being selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL expansion draft, Fleury reached the Final again in 2018, and received the William M. Jennings Trophy and the Vezina Trophy in 2021. His arrival helped propel the expansion team to the Stanley Cup Final just one year later in 2018. During his time with Vegas, Fleury achieved the pinnacle of individual recognition by winning both the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed and the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender in 2021.

Career Milestones and International Legacy

Fleury also played with the Chicago Blackhawks, as well as the Minnesota Wild, with whom he reached several milestones and ultimately retired with in 2025. He is the third goaltender to ever reach the 500 victories mark in the NHL, after Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, and the fourth goaltender to reach 1,000 games played, after Roy, Brodeur, and Roberto Luongo. Internationally, Fleury has represented Canada's junior team twice, winning back-to-back silver medals at the World Junior Championships in 2003 and 2004. He won a gold medal with the Canada senior team at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Fleury is known by the nickname 'Flower', derived from the English translation of his last name (fleuri means 'in bloom', or 'in flower', in French).