Penguins Hall of Fame Class of 2026: Marc-Andre Fleury

When Marc-Andre Fleury was in Pittsburgh last fall to play in a Penguins jersey one last time, the franchise had just re-launched its Hall of Fame.

With Fleury relatively fresh off retirement, at the time, he wasn’t yet eligible for induction. But we talked about the possibility of it happening sooner rather than later.

“Being mentioned, it’s such an honor,” Fleury said. “This organization's had a lot of success, and there's so many great players that have come by. It’s not something I played for or expect now, right? But obviously, would be a tremendous honor.”

A few months later, Fleury got the call from Kyle Dubas informing the goaltender that he was the first player of the post-lockout era (2005-Present) to enter the Penguins Hall of Fame after being unanimously selected by the voting committee in his first year of eligibility.

It speaks to Fleury’s impact on the Penguins during his time here, and how beloved he is by the Pittsburghers who turned out in droves for his preseason appearance. They will be thrilled for another chance to celebrate one of the franchise’s most successful and popular players at the Hall of Fame Game on Saturday, November 14. Tickets can be found here.

“Pittsburgh will always be a special place,” Fleury said. “I haven’t lived here for a while, right? But there are the bonds that you make with obviously teammates and staff that you see every day throughout those years, and but also the fans, too, that you see at events or you see at restaurants, hotels, around town. They are just such good sports fans, and they like the Penguins, and they cheer you on. I will always keep good memories of my time.”

His tenure began when the Penguins traded up to select the athletic, affable netminder first overall at the 2003 NHL Draft in Nashville. Then-GM Craig Patrick said the organization decided the best place to start building was in goal.

**READ: Draft Rewind - Marc-Andre Fleury**

“Obviously it was a great day, to be drafted by such a good organization,” Fleury said. “I’ll always be thankful for them to take a chance on me and give me the opportunity to realize my dream.”

Fleury proved to be the perfect foundation, becoming the heart and soul of the Penguins’ crease from 2003-17. He owns nearly every single major goaltending record in franchise history, won three Stanley Cup championships, and helped establish a culture of success with his style and smile. The legendary prankster brought a contagious mix of competitiveness and joy to the rink each day.

“Growing up, my dad always told me work hard, try your best every time, and have fun. You're playing a game, playing hockey,” Fleury said. “And I think for me, I feel like I've probably been better while I was having fun. I think I'm more relaxed and just react better, react quicker. And then again, we see each other so much, and we did so many shootouts right at the end of practice and stuff. So, it's fun, and even though I talk trash or maybe it looks like I'm fooling around, I'm still trying to stop them, and get in their heads a bit. Just so I can tell them I stopped them, and they suck [laughs].”

Fleury’s signature moment in black and gold came in the waning seconds of Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings, when he threw his body at a shot from Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom to preserve the lead, and the win. It is the first thing that comes to mind for most people when they think of Fleury’s time with the Penguins.

But if you ask Fleury what he remembers from that night, he first credits his friend and teammate Max Talbot, who scored both goals in their 2-1 win. Then, Fleury admits that his game-saving stop is what dreams are made of. The team that had been the NHL’s worst his first season was now the NHL’s best just six years later.

“We were just holding on, you know? The Wings kept pushing all the way to the end. Got to dive around a bit and get a piece of the puck,” Fleury said. “That was fun, because I think as a kid, that's something I've played or dreamt, playing Game 7 and making a big save in the last second to win the Cup. To actually do it was pretty cool.”

While Fleury later transitioned into a tandem role during the team’s back-to-back championships in ‘16 and ‘17, his clutch performances, especially in the ‘17 playoffs, were instrumental in the Penguins’ success.

Looking back, Fleury did experience his share of struggles as well. But the highs far outnumbered the lows, and no matter what Fleury was experiencing, he always remained the consummate professional and teammate.

“There were some long days, there was some bad times, some bad years and stuff,” Fleury said. “But the good always took over, and we had a lot of good years together and a lot of fun. So, yeah, it's crazy. Got to enjoy every moment, because it goes by quick. Time flew by, like, so quickly.”

Fleury started his time here as part of a young group that included players like Talbot, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. As his Hall of Fame career went on, Fleury was universally adored by everyone he played with.

When posed a question about his legacy and how he would like to be remembered in Pittsburgh, Fleury said that the respect of those teammates was always significant to him.

“Because we're the ones that together, we have to find ways to win games together and stuff,” Fleury said. “So, I think if you can rely on each other and trust each other and push each other to win, I think that's very important. So, if I can be remembered as somebody who wanted to win and compete, but also as a good teammate, I think it's important.”

More information on the Penguins Hall of Fame can be found here.