Fleury's 400th win, impact not lost on teammates

PHILADELPHIA --Marc-Andre Fleury sat in his dressing stall still wearing his goalie pads and skates, answering questions from the media, more than 20 minutes after he made the last of his 38 saves for his
400th NHL win
in the
Vegas Golden Knights' 3-2 victory
against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Monday.
Fleury, 33, became the 13th player to reach that milestone. And although he's proud of the accomplishment, he's glad it came on his first try.

"The last few days media has asked about it, talked about it," he said. "I'm just happy I don't have to think about it anymore. We're done with it, keep moving forward."

Although Fleury is ready to put things behind him, his teammates were willing to take more time to reflect on what their goaltender has accomplished.
"He's the backbone of our team," forward Erik Haula said. "We're really lucky to have him."
Fleury brought more than a resume that features three Stanley Cup championships (2009, 2016, 2017) from the Pittsburgh Penguins with him to Vegas, who selected him in the NHL Expansion Draft in June. He is 25-9-3 this season and his 2.15 goals-against average and .930 save percentage lead the NHL among goalies to play at least 35 games. The goals-against average and save percentage are also the best in his 14-year career.
"He's a huge part of the leadership on our team on and off the ice," defenseman Deryk Engelland said. "He's playing phenomenal. He's making those huge saves when we need it. You expect him to do that. He's been doing it all year long."
But it's more than a winning resume that has helped the first-year Golden Knights (45-19-5) climb to the top of the Pacific Division and open a 12-point lead on the second-place San Jose Sharks. Fleury's perpetually positive attitude has had just as big an impact.
"He's fun to be around," said Engelland, who saw it first-hand when he played with Fleury with the Penguins from 2009-14. "He works hard. He's great for the young guys with his compete on and off the ice. Just seems like you come in and you're having a bad day, you see him and you're not having a bad day anymore. He's huge in the locker room."

Engelland said Fleury's reputation for positivity is well-known among NHL players. Coach Gerard Gallant said he didn't know Fleury well prior to this season, but didn't need much time to learn why Fleury is so beloved.
"I heard his personality was unbelievable," Gallant said. "They say as a person, he's a better person than he is a goaltender, and that says a lot because he's a great goaltender. … First time you meet him, first time you see him around the room, he's great around his teammates."
And those teammates were excited to get a milestone win for their goaltender.
"We are happy," forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said. "Four hundred wins, it's a lot of hockey played. He is a great guy so he deserves it."