On May 1, 2025, the Minnesota Wild lost Game 6 of their playoff series with the Vegas Golden Knights. Following this loss, everyone expected this to be the last time Marc-Andre Fleury would be on an NHL bench. The former Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick was expected to retire after 21 years and over 1000 games in the league.
Fleury did indeed retire following the 2024-25 campaign. He spent time with Pittsburgh, the Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks, and Minnesota. He is a near-lock for the Hall of Fame, as well. Fleury won three Stanley Cups while also being the second-winningest goaltender in NHL history.
However, fans have not seen the last of him on an NHL bench just yet. The Penguins announced they’ve signed the 40-year-old. This is not a typical one-day contract to retire with a team, though. He signed a professional tryout with the team.
Fleury spoke about this decision in a recent interview. And he revealed why he made this decision to take the ice with the Penguins.
“I don’t like to say that I’m retiring as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins,” Fleury said. “I don’t want to disrespect the Minnesota Wild. I played my last game with them, I signed my last contract with them. They did a lot for me,” the future Hall of Famer said, via NHL.com.
“I wanted to go back where it all began. I see it as a wink to my past. I’ll wear the Penguins jersey one last time and I’ll see some old teammates and friends again. It’s a way to come full circle.”
Marc-Andre Fleury’s Status Has Not Changed
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty ImagesMarc-Andre Fleury made his mark with the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning three Stanley Cups with the franchise.
Fleury was a star with the Penguins for a very long time. He spent 13 of his 21 seasons with Pittsburgh. He was the first overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft. Fleury owns multiple Pittsburgh records, including wins, goals against average, and shutouts. Moroever, he won three Stanley Cups with the franchise.
However, the 40-year-old is not looking to continue his career. He told NHL.com he is retired, and he is not seeking a full-time roster spot.
“I’m still retired,” he said. “I’ll play a period against the Blue Jackets and I’ll practice twice with the Penguins. At my age, that’s more than enough.”
In a way, this is a replacement for a one-day contract. Athletes typically sign one-day contracts to say they retired with a certain team. While Fleury is not claiming he’s retiring with Pittsburgh, this is a different way to achieve the full-circle moment he wanted.
When Fleury Will Take The Ice For The Penguins
The Penguins won’t carry Fleury into the season. And he won’t even be around for much of the preseason. As he stated, he’ll partake in a game as well as a few practices.
It does not appear as if Fleury will participate in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener. They open their preseason slate against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. After this, they travel to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Fleury will face the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, as he said. It may only be for one period, but fans will certainly have their eyes on this preseason clash when the teams take the ice at Nationwide Arena on Wednesday.
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