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Penguins Locker Room: Crosby, Fleury Cap Emotional Goodbye
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- Penguins Locker Room: Crosby, Fleury Cap Emotional Goodbye
Penguins Locker Room: Crosby, Fleury Cap Emotional Goodbye
Only three players talked to the media following the Pittsburgh Penguins ' 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena, and the team will release one of those players from his PTO.
While it may not sound like much, two of the Penguins who stood to talk about the moment were future Hall of Famers, Sidney Crosby , and the other was, the night's honoree, Marc-Andre Fleury .
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The emotion flowed like the water from the bottle Fleury once used to hide his tears at his roaring welcome-back ovation when he was with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-28.
Saturday was a chance to make everything right. Fleury, who retired after last season with the Minnesota Wild , technically remained retired but played 20 more minutes–with the Penguins.
Fleury was this Penguins generation's first cornerstone. He was drafted first overall in 2003 after general manager Craig Patrick swung a draft-day trade to move up from the third overall slot to first to snag the athletic goalie. Fleury remained one of the most popular figures in the franchise for 14 years, though there were some downs to go with the ups before he was lost to the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft in 2017.
His career from 2017 onward included taking Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018 and his first Vezina Trophy in 2021.
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He's had a few goodbyes. Two years ago, the remaining Penguins core (Crosby, Evgeni Malkin , Kris Letang ) privately presented him with a custom painting and gifts when many thought he would retire. Last season, crowds said their goodbyes after he announced it would be his final season. And in May, he and Crosby got to play together with Team Canada one more time in the World Championships in Denmark.
Saturday, the crowd at PPG Paints Arena couldn't contain its emotion. Every puck handle, every little save throughout the third period was met with a thundering cheer and extended chants in his honor.
Fleury stopped all eight shots he faced, but couldn't stop the flood of emotion after the game as his original teammates and lifelong friends, Sidney Crosby , Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang , raced to the crease for one last moment.
"I don't know. (It was) a little surreal, a little crazy, but still also comfortable (tonight). It felt like every time I played here with other teams, I always felt a little bit weird," Fleury said. "This time, I felt normal, like I used to, you know. So it was a bit of nerves, too. I didn't want to mess up for the guys. I wanted to keep them in the game, and it was fun."
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Fleury seemed quite content with it all. After 22 years, it all came full circle. He is done:
Sidney Crosby
Friday morning, Sidney Crosby's Range Rover mysteriously suffered vandalism in the players' parking lot at the UPMC Lemieux Complex. No one knows who did it or how his vehicle entered a clean dark gray but left with a big 29 vinyl decal on the door.
Who or what could perpetrate such an act might forever remain a mystery, but Fleury promised to use his retirement to investigate the situation. Perhaps it was a coincidence that Fleury also wears 29?
Fans who were lined up outside PPG Paints Arena early posted pictures on social media of Crosby arriving at the arena–the 29 decal still on his driver's side door.
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The bond between Fleury and Crosby is as strong as it is long-lasting. And Crosby fielded all questions about the night, which was as emotional for him as it was for Fleury.
"I think just him being able to enjoy it–You know, when we were playing against him, there's so much going on. And there was still some uncertainty whether he was going to keep playing or not," Crosby said. "So I think that was probably difficult. And I can tell you, (tonight) was a lot better feeling than it was in Denmark when we lost at Worlds, when we thought that might be the last time. (He) is just so deserving, and give a lot of credit to our fans for the way that they turned out and supported him, and showed the love that he deserves."
The post Penguins Locker Room: Crosby, Fleury Cap Emotional Goodbye appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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