4 days Ago By Adam Gretz, Yardbarker
It was a big night for the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Not only did they defeat the Anaheim Ducks, 3-2, to officially clinch a wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff field, but it also gave them a chance to give future Hall of Fame goalie Marc-Andre Fleury a memorable final regular-season game. Fleury did not get the start on Tuesday, but was subbed in for overtime after the Wild had officially clinched their playoff spot.
He ended up getting the win when Matt Boldy scored the winning goal with 18 seconds to play in the extra period. It is the 575th regular season win of Fleury's career, placing him second on the all-time list behind only Martin Brodeur. The decision to put Fleury into the game for overtime came at the suggestion of Minnesota's starting goalie for the night, Filip Gustavsson.
#mnwild coach John Hynes just told reporters the idea to sub in Fleury in net for the OT came from tonight’s starting goalie Filip Gustavsson, who suggested the gesture to Hynes “Do you think we can put in Flower?” Gustavsson said to Hynes “I was like, ‘yeah,’” Hynes responded https://t.co/TWXyjx3ntH pic.twitter.
com/d0WD8dDHKs It was a nice touch by both Gustavsson and the Wild to give Fleury that moment. While there is still a chance he plays again in the playoffs, Gustavsson has become the Wild's No. 1 goalie and is going to be their go-to netminder in the playoffs.
Assuming he keeps playing well, there is a chance this could have been the last time we see Fleury play in an NHL game. If it is, it has been an amazing career that should have him as a slam-dunk Hall of Famer. The only question is if he gets in on the first ballot.
Along with his placement on the wins list, he has also been a part of three Stanley Cup winning teams, with two additional Stanley Cup Final appearances, and won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie during the 2020-21 season. He has also always been one of the most entertaining and beloved players in the league no matter where he has played. Not just among his teammates, either.
There is an immense level of respect for him among opponents and his peers. Along with his time in Minnesota, he has also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks. He was drafted by the Penguins with the No.
1 overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and was a significant part of their core alongside Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang for more than a decade. He also backstopped the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their first year of existence in the NHL, which might have been the greatest and most impressive single-season performances of them all. Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh.
He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz.
