Welcome to our series on who wore each number best for the Penguins.
The idea is being openly borrowed from our new hockey writer, Cody Tucker, and his project at the Lansing State Journal covering all the uniform numbers worn through Michigan State football history, one that’s been well received by their readers and prompted heavy discussion and debate.
Under the organization of Taylor Haase, and following the voting of a big chunk of our staff, we’ll publish one new one each day until completion, which should be right around the start of training camp.
___________________
Name: Marc-Andre Fleury
Number: 29
Position: Goalie
Born: November 28, 1984, in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada
Seasons with Penguins: 2003-2017
Statistics with Penguins: 691 games played, 536 starts, 375 wins, 44 shutouts, 2.58 GAA, .912 save percentage, 115 playoff games played, 62 playoff wins, 10 playoff shutouts, 2.65 playoff GAA ... 3 Stanley Cups
Marc-Andre Fleury kisses the Stanley Cup for the third time as a Penguins player. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPSWHY FLEURY?
Do I need to fill this section out for this one?
Fleury is a three time Stanley Cup champion, joined by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz as the only Penguins players to achieve that feat (as players — 66 is a whooooole additional entry).
He’s the all-time leader in wins as a Penguin. He holds the Penguins’ shutout record. He was the first piece drafted to start the modern era of Penguins hockey.
For me, Fleury was the beginning of the future for the Penguins. I was there as a fan when he played as a rookie to open the season against the Kings. He was the guy who allowed Malkin and Crosby to be the creatives needed to lead the Penguins to their first Cup in their current run.
As for Cup two and three, Fleury got the back seat in the playoffs during the first of the back-to-back titles while dealing with concussion recovery, but he was integral in the return trip and championship when Matt Murray was unable to go in Game 1 of the 2016-17 playoffs. He led the Penguins to wins over the Blue Jackets and Capitals before eventually losing the net to Murray in the conference finals.
Three Stanley Cups. An insurmountable number of wins (at least until Murray plays a lot more games). And a killer smile. Again, I could have just skipped this section.
I've got three of this guy's jerseys, one signed, and maybe one day when we've both hung up the pads and cameras, I'll add one of my own photos to the collection of signed memorabilia.
WHAT'S HE DOING NOW?
After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins, Fleury led the expansion Vegas Golden Knights to the Final for his third consecutive appearance and the first for Vegas. Fleury set career bests for his 2.24 and .927 GAA and save percentages respectively in his first season as the face of the Golden Knights.
Fleury is in the final year of his four-year deal with an annual average salary of $5.75 million, and he just signed a three-year extension with Vegas. He'll return to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins for the second time as a visitor on Oct. 11, 2018.
Marc-Andre Fleury acknowledges the crowd during his first game playing against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPSIT WAS SPOKEN
Fleury is a competitor. Those who have never spoken with him found that out following the first of the back-to-back Stanley Cups. It was obvious that No. 29's future was uncertain, even in his mind, and he was visibly uncomfortable following his second Cup win.
Things were obviously different for Fleury after his role in the second Cup win, and again in Vegas as he tried to win a third straight. Competition, and being the guy were not new to Fleury in the last two seasons, though.
This is a clip from our Dejan Kovacevic from a story he wrote on Fleury when the Penguins drafted the young French-Canadian netminder:
"We were 14, and Marc-Andre was just sent back down to the AA level of midgets after spending a little while in AAA," Benjamin Cournoyer, a childhood friend and teammate of Fleury's said.
"Now, most guys who go to AAA, even for a little bit, either act like hot shots or they act really upset about it. He didn't do either. We had our first practice, and he was himself, all happy and working hard."
That changed when practice ended and most of Fleury's teammates had left the rink.
"He was at the bench by himself and he got sick. He was vomiting there, and I was the only one who could see. We all thought he was fine. But that's how upset he was about getting sent back down. He just didn't want us to know."
Fleury has never wanted to be sent down, or be number two at any level, and this story tells of that trait better than most.
HONORABLE MENTIONS AT NO. 29:
The Ol' Two-Niner, Phil Bourque
No one else close
ANY DEBATE?
Again, another section that probably doesn't need any words. If I was able to name a player at a number who I felt was uncontested, it would be Fleury at 29 at the same time I said _____ _______ at 66. I'd say that name, but I don't want to ruin any surprises.
As important as winning the lottery for Crosby was, I still feel like drafting Fleury allowed the Penguins to create a multi-decade identity and build for a future they didn't know existed when Rico Fata and Dick Tarnstrom were among the best the Penguins had to offer.
I would have died on Fleury hill if anyone fought for Bourque. No disrespect to one of the great voices of the team, but this was a unanimous decision, and I didn't have to die on any hill.
Tomorrow: Chris Bradford has another netminder on the horizon.
Yesterday: Ian Cole
