Marc-Andre Fleury Looks Back On Career So Far As He Approaches 400th Win

Doing something successfully 399 times at the highest of levels is a rare accomplishment. Think about it, what have you done that proper that many times other than open a can of soda or another mundane chore of life?
Only two pitchers in Major League Baseball have ever collected more than 399 wins. Only 13 goalies in NHL history have won 399 games or more. Marc Andre Fleury is now on that list.
Fleury is on the verge of hitting 400 NHL wins and is having the best statistical season of his career with a save percentage of .930 and a record of 24-9-3. He's been brilliant in a year which has included the greatest turmoil of his career - moving from the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.

But it's also been a season of resurgence. Fleury had lost the No. 1 job in Pittsburgh to Matt Murray. He sat on the bench as often as he played. In Vegas, if he's not injured or worn out - the net is Fleury's and he's responded with an MVP type performance.

Fleury sat down with us on Sunday morning:
VGK: So, 399 wins. What comes to your mind when you hear that?
MAF: One more. I don't know. I think it's pretty cool. I think it means I'm getting old. It's not something that I told myself that I want to get to or I look at all the time. It's been nice, but it's always the next one. The next win, the next game. I try to help the team.
VGK: To do anything that well 399 times, that's a lot.
MAF: Yeah, I guess it's lots of hockey and lots of games. I was very fortunate to play with good teams and good teammates. You don't win games by yourself. Obviously, I had big help to achieve that.
VGK: Do you remember your first NHL game?
MAF: Being from Canada it was always a dream to play a game in the NHL. To finally make it and to be out there, I had a great welcome in Pittsburgh. I got scored on the first shot of the game, so that was a bit of a rough start. It was good though. We lost 3-2, but I think I had 46 saves or something like that. It was a good night.
VGK: What about your first win?
MAF: I think it was Detroit and Hasek was playing for them. So that was pretty special. It was a guy that I always looked at growing up, so that was pretty cool.
VGK: What were your goals when you started?
MAF: I think first camp I was just trying to leave a good impression and do well. They had put a lot of faith in me for drafting me so high. Camp went well and then the season started. I just wanted to play a game and win a game. I was having the time of my life just trying to stick around and help the team in any ways that I could.
VGK: Do you ever look back and remember?
MAF: Yeah for sure. I was fortunate and I started when I was 18. I had time to play a lot of games and I met a lot of great people, I made a lot of friends. I try to tell the young guys that time flies by so quick. It's crazy how fast it goes, especially during the season. You travel, you play, you practice and you play again. I feel like you're always doing something, so you don't see the time go by. But I think it's good to sometimes take a moment to enjoy the moment. Enjoy your time with the guys off the ice and on the ice. Enjoy the wins. It moves along so quick.
VGK: They say change is great for you but it's hard to go through, do you agree with the saying?
MAF: I think that's very fitting for me. I was in (Pittsburgh) for so long and it was like my home. Going into the unknown with a new franchise, coming in to bring hockey to Vegas. You don't know how that's going to turn out. Everything has been awesome, though. From the support of the fans right from the get go. Us winning games consistently through the season I think made the change a lot easier and made it fun too.
VGK: You're known as a prankster. Where does the inspiration from your pranks come from and how do you pick the victim?
MAF: I think sometimes when I'm bored, I start looking around to see what I can get my hands on and try to do something. I like to pick on young guys most of the time or guys that have big mouths or if they celebrate too much in practice when they score on me, then I can give it back to them.
VGK: Do you have a favorite prank?
MAF: I think so. It was a little more popular back in the day. Ryan Malone showed me that in Pittsburgh. He brought the whole bedroom from a guy's hotel room. The bed, the nightstands, the mirrors, the dresser and the TV. He brought everything in the hallway in the hotel. He would bring everything by the elevator so when you opened the door on whatever floor, you'd have the bedroom right in front of you. I thought that was pretty good. It's a lot of work, but I thought it was pretty funny.
VGK: Why are you a goalie?
MAF: Just when I started playing, I think I skated the first year and the second year they threw a kid in there once every game. All of the kids didn't want to go in and I always wanted to go back. I loved the gear and I loved diving around. I didn't have to change and I could be on the ice the whole game. I thought that was pretty cool. I think I wasn't very good at the scoring and I was getting mad. I wasn't scoring so I said, "okay I'll go play goalie."
VGK: Is there one win that stands out more than anything else?
MAF: Playoffs don't count, so it's got to be regular season. I think probably my first one. Just because it was something that I looked forward to for a long time. I never thought that I would make it to the NHL. As a kid, I always dreamed about it. To finally make it and win was pretty cool.
VGK: What motivates you now?
MAF: The thing with the Stanley Cup is you get one and you want two. You get two and you want three. You get three and you want four. I think it's always the chase to get back in there and to win another one. It's tough. It's tough physically and mentally, but so rewarding at the end when you do it. You create great bonds with your teammates going to doing that stuff and it's the best time of the year to play hock