2 years ago
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It was astir arsenic if the concern was written successful the stars.
The arrogant seasoned who needed a caller challenge. The caller franchise that sought instant credibility. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and the Golden Knights were made for each other.
Who tin reason different aft their 4 years together?
Fleury, consigned to backup work for back-to-back Stanley Cup wins successful Pittsburgh, revitalized his vocation and became a Hall of Fame lock. His drive, passionateness and flair suited Las Vegas perfectly.
The Knights got an instant look their fans could gravitate toward and a prima who gave them personality. They besides received stableness astatine hockey’s astir important position.
The matrimony ended successful June erstwhile Fleury was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, who sojourn T-Mobile Arena connected Saturday. But his interaction connected the enactment volition unrecorded connected forever.
Here are Fleury’s champion moments with the Knights:
1. Expansion draft
Fleury was determination from the beginning.
He was 1 of 4 players successful attendance for the team’s enlargement draught announcement June 21, 2017, on with defensemen Deryk Engelland, Jason Garrison and Brayden McNabb. His enactment prompted a lasting ovation from the crowd.
The lawsuit solidified him arsenic an contiguous instrumentality favourite and 1 of the faces of the franchise. The Knights besides got a second-round prime erstwhile they poached him from Pittsburgh.
Fleury had 1 of the longest tenures among the team’s expansion-draft selections. Only McNabb, halfway William Karlsson and near wings Jonathan Marchessault and William Carrier outlasted him. All 4 are inactive with the Knights.
2. 2018 Western Conference Final
Fleury’s astir important agelong with the Knights came from May 16 to 20, 2018.
The squad was facing the Winnipeg Jets, who had the second-best grounds and extremity differential successful the NHL successful the regular season, and down 1-0 with a travel to the Stanley Cup Final connected the line. It would person been an casual spot for the Knights to buckle. Fleury didn’t fto it happen.
He allowed six goals successful the adjacent 4 games against a squad that finished tied for the second-most goals successful the league. He had a .956 prevention percent successful that span.
The Knights won each four, took the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl and precocious to play the Washington Capitals.
3. “The prevention of the century”
It was a infinitesimal truthful unthinkable the Knights made figurines retired of it.
The squad was starring 3-2 against Toronto connected Nov. 19, 2019, astatine T-Mobile Arena with little than 4 minutes to play. Maple Leafs close helping Ilya Mikheyev deed the station with a changeable from the near circle, and the rebound bounced to halfway Nic Petan astatine the bottommost of the close one.
FLEURY, WHAT?? pic.twitter.com/Ur1IegBIu7
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) November 20, 2019
Fleury, from the apical close country of his crease, saw the puck had gone to the different broadside of the ice. So helium leaped backward toward the nett with his near mitt manus extended successful the hopes of preventing the game-tying goal.
He did. Fleury caught the puck, preserved the pb and sealed a Knights’ victory. Toronto manager Mike Babcock was fired the adjacent day.
Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, dubbed it “the prevention of the century.” When the NHL ranked Fleury’s 22,827 vocation saves this summer, it was No. 1.
4. Win for the grounds books
Fleury’s 4th play successful Las Vegas was each astir chasing history.
He started the play with 466 wins, sixth-most each time. He ended it successful 3rd place. Fleury got his 490th triumph to surpass fourth-place Roberto Luongo connected May 5 astatine Minnesota.
He had to enactment for it.
4⃣9⃣0⃣ ❗️
Congrats to the 🌸!!!#NHLTonight | @GoldenKnights pic.twitter.com/M66WcAhsvq
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) May 6, 2021
The Knights trailed 2-1 with 6:37 remaining aft 2 goals from Wild rookie Kirill Kaprizov. Right helping Reilly Smith tied the people connected the powerfulness play to unit overtime, and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo past delivered the game-winning goal.
When the crippled ended, Fleury trailed lone Martin Brodeur (691) and Patrick Roy (551) connected the NHL’s all-time leaderboard. He became the 3rd goaltender successful NHL past to triumph 500 games Dec. 9 against Montreal.
5. The Vezina
Most goaltenders tin lone imagination of Fleury’s career.
He has won 3 Stanley Cups. He has go a franchise icon doubly over. He has etched his sanction into the NHL grounds books.
Yet, contempt each that, determination was ever 1 gaping spread connected his resume. Fleury was ne'er a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, the NHL’s premier goaltending award.
That each changed past season. Fleury’s spectacular last play for the Knights earned him the Vezina and a stock of the Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed successful the NHL with teammate Robin Lehner.
He finished 26-10 with a career-high .928 prevention percent and career-low 1.98 goals-against average. That was capable to springiness him 14 first-place votes for the Vezina from the NHL’s wide managers and a nine-point triumph implicit Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Contact Ben Gotz astatine bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz connected Twitter.
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