Fleury inducted into Penguins Hall of Fame

PITTSBURGH -- Marc-Andre Fleury was concerned the city of Pittsburgh had grown tired of him.

There was no reason to worry.

Fleury, a goalie with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2003-17, was inducted into their Hall of Fame before his former team faced the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday. The 2026 class also included general manager/goalie Jim Rutherford, defenseman Larry Murphy and team founder Jack McGregor.

"It's a huge honor, obviously. Always fun coming back for any reason," Fleury said. "I feel like I've been back in Pittsburgh many times. But I love this team. I felt like it was my team, you know?"

Fleury toured the Hall of Fame about three hours before the game. He inspected his plaque and took some time to take in a display that included one of his signature bright yellow gloves and a mask from early in his career.  

"The organization gave me the chance to live my dream, right?" Fleury said. "Played here for so long. So, for me, it means a lot that they're taking the time to recognize me and bring me back for today."

The induction ceremony was held just before puck drop with each new member getting a tribute video. 

Fleury, as would be expected, was left for last. A raucous ovation greeted him. With a smile and a wave, he took in chants of, "Fleu-ry! Fleu-ry! Fleu-ry!" 

Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and defenseman Kris Letang, then joined the inductees for a photo.

"Just happy for him," said Crosby, Fleury's teammate from 2005-17. "Obviously, he's done so much for this organization and, yeah, I just had a blast playing with him. And happy to see him again, you know? It's another opportunity to get to see him and catch up a little bit. So, really excited for him."

Fleury has the most wins (375) and games played (691) by a Penguins goalie. His 2.58 goals-against average is the lowest in their history and his .912 save percentage is tied with Casey DeSmith for the second-best behind Matt Murray (.914).

Success was hard to come by immediately after being selected No. 1 in the 2003 NHL Draft. Fleury was 17-41-8 in his first two seasons, including 4-14-2 as a rookie in 2003-04 and 13-27-6 in 2005-06, when Crosby debuted after being drafted No. 1 in 2005.

In 2006-07, Fleury and Crosby were joined by a pair of rookies -- Malkin and Letang. Together, those four qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the next 11 seasons and won championships in 2009, 2016 and 2017.

"Obviously, he's the trailblazer," Letang said. "He came in at a tough moment, obviously, with tons of pressure. And he was kind of alone when he came in, but you could see in him the fight and the dedication that he put in every single day to getting better. Set a standard for how to prepare, how to get ready for games with the way he practiced and when he was coming to the rink. And after that, Sid came in. He obviously paved the way for the other young guys that came in after."

Fleury's fingerprints are all over the 2009 championship, in particular. In Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at Joe Louis Arena, he made one of the most iconic saves in NHL history, securing a 2-1 win by diving to deny a shot from Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom with less than seven seconds remaining in the third period.

"When you came to watch his style, he played an original type of style, the way he played the position," Crosby said. "So, he was really athletic, acrobatic. Had a smile on his face while he was doing it. Had great interviews. Was a ton of fun to be around, so I think he's a really likable person. And I think the fans connected to that, you know, with his play and with his personality.

"I'm sure that's something that he appreciates as a player. But yeah, just another opportunity to, you know, show how grateful they are for all the years he played here."

In 21 NHL seasons, Fleury had 575 wins in 1,051 games played, each the second-most by a goalie in League history behind Martin Brodeur (691 wins, 1,266 games).  

The Penguins chapter of Fleury's career seemingly ended when he was taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. He played four seasons for the Golden Knights, one for the Chicago Blackhawks and four for the Minnesota Wild.

But, on Sept. 12, 2025, Fleury signed a professional tryout contract with the Penguins before playing one period of a preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets to retire with Pittsburgh 15 days later.

"When I played, I wanted to win," Fleury said. "I wanted the city and the crowd to be proud of our team. I wanted to win for them, right? Right when I was 18 and I came in, the way they welcomed me and my family, throughout the years, to the city -- the support, the cheers throughout the years have been amazing. That's why it's always a special place to come back and relive some of those memories."