Fleury was so touched by standing ovation he got from Vancouver Canucks fans
Marc-André Fleury may not have been in net against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night, but he still got plenty of love from fans at Rogers Arena.
The 40-year-old goaltender is set to retire at the end of the season after a 21-year career in the NHL. The second-to-last stop in his farewell season happened to be in Vancouver as his Minnesota Wild rolled into town for an important game.
When all is said and done, Fleury will be second all-time in wins by an NHL goalie, surpassed by only Martin Brodeur. Though he was on the opposing team, Canucks fans gave the future Hall-of-Famer a rousing ovation as a tribute video played on the Rogers Arena jumbotron.
You could tell that the ovation meant something as Fleury waved to the crowd.
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Fleury has dominated the Canucks throughout his long career, with an incredible 16-2-2 record in 20 games against Vancouver, with three shutouts.
While Canucks fans may have nightmares about facing off against Fleury, the crowd was able to put aside the rivalry to recognize his place in hockey history. After the game, Fleury sat down with Sportsnet’s Scott Oake and Dave Tomlinson on After Hours and praised the ovation.
“It’s pretty surreal, it’s been weird going into other team’s buildings and having so much people in warmup [with signs] and cheering,” Fleury said. “It’s overwhelming, I would say, but very much appreciated.
“I love this game very much, and I feel very fortunate I played for so long… It’s definitely nice to get that recognition from the fans.”
Marc-André Fleury received an ovation from Canucks fans for his final stop in Vancouver 👏🌸 pic.twitter.com/7fJrCVOYnY
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 13, 2025
Fleury has been getting ovations across the league as the season has died down, with the loudest coming from his hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens, as well as in Pittsburgh, where he spent the first 13 seasons of his NHL career with the Penguins.