Fleury Is One of a Kind in the NHL

Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

Marc-Andre Fleury is a future Hall-of-Famer; there is no question about it. Not only has he played a long and storied career with four different NHL teams and won three Stanley Cups, but he is still breaking records as he goes. Not only has he become the fourth and likely last goaltender to play in 1000 NHL games, but he is now the goaltender with the second-most wins in the history of the NHL, surpassing Patrick Roy during the Minnesota Wild game against the New York Islanders on Monday. Fleury is making hockey history this season.

Fleury is the last of his kind when it comes to goaltenders. Not only does he play with a style that isn’t frequently seen anymore, but he also played at a time when star and backup goaltenders were more common than today’s goalie tandem teams. It is absolutely amazing that Fleury came into the league at 18 years old and is still playing just as well twenty years later at 39 years old.

Goalies in the modern-day NHL won’t have the opportunity to break the records that Fleury is still setting. Goalies no longer come into the league at 18 years old. Instead, they “overbake” in the AHL, college hockey, or in European leagues. This year, Jepser Wallstedt was the youngest goalie to play in the NHL when he made his debut. He was 21, three full years older than Fleury when he came into the league. And Wallstedt only played one game before going back to the AHL team.

Jonathan Quick has played 768 career games, the second-most of active goalies. In order for him to catch up, he would need to play every single game for the rest of this season, two more full seasons, and the majority of a third. That just isn’t feasible, especially because he is 38 years old. 

Most goalies in the league have shifted to a calmer style of play, relying more on good positioning to make their saves. Fleury, on the other hand, plays a more dynamic style that depends on his athleticism to make saves. And even after two decades, Fleury is still able to make highlight reel saves. He hasn’t slowed down at all as he has aged. 

The big question on everyone’s mind is whether this will be Fleury’s last year in the league. Fleury himself has refused to make a decision, wanting to wait until after the season is over to make a decision. Judging by his continued success and how much fun he has on the ice, Fleury could play in the NHL for a few more seasons before retiring. 

No matter when Fleury retires, fans in Minnesota and around the league need to recognize what a privilege it is to watch him on the ice. He is the most beloved hockey player in the league. There isn’t any player who has an unkind thing to say about him. Fleury takes pride in his play on the ice and in being a good teammate off of it. He is truly one-of-a-kind.

For more about Fleury and the game when he passed Patrick Roy for second-most wins, listen to the latest episode of Her Wild Side Hockey Podcast.

Throwing Walleye and Dented Jock Straps Her Wild Side Hockey Podcast

The pod is back! The hockey world has been all a tizzy the past 24 hours, so Mikki is back to discuss. From the fish-tossing debate with the Seattle Kraken and Auston Matthews's mysterious trip to Germany to Nashville's bench minor and Zuccarello's unfortunate injury, there is plenty to talk about.Links:Her Wild Side Merch Shop!Ticketmaster Affiliate LinkSocial Media:TwitterInstagramFacebookFor more from us, visit Inside The RinkHow to support us and our sponsors:Columbia Sports ApparelESPN+ SubscriptionFanaticsDraft Kings – CODE ITR  
  1. Throwing Walleye and Dented Jock Straps
  2. Zuccarello's All-Star Game and the McDavid Wedding
  3. Let's Talk About Brock Faber's Contract Extension
  4. Summer Hockey and Why Minnesota Is the State of Hockey
  5. PWHL Minnesota is a Mess. Can It Be Saved?

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Montreal Canadiens Re-Sign Jakub Dobes

The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed goaltender Jakub Dobes to a two-year, one-way contract with an AAV of $965,000. This deal carries him through the 2026-27 season. Dobes played in 30 games last season, splitting his time between the Laval Rocket and Montreal Canadiens. He began the season in Laval, where he went 9-3-1 with a […]

Read More
Steve Yzerman, General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings

Yzerman: This Red Wings Team ‘Can Take a Step’

The Detroit Red Wings currently have $12.09 million in salary cap space after the team acquired goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks and acquired free agent left-winger James van Riemsdyk recently. According to general manager Steve Yzerman, the team will likely stand pat right now despite having this amount of cap space. The fact […]

Read More
Tanner Jeannot of the Los Angeles Kings

Player Profile: Tanner Jeannot

Tanner Jeannot was born on May 29, 1997, in Estevan, Saskatchewan. The left-shooting forward played for three seasons with the Estevan Bruins from 2010-13. In his first two seasons with the U15 club, Jeannot scored 29 goals and collected 18 assists in 42 games and five goals and three assists in ten postseason games. Jeannot […]

Read More