Well how about that? What a night it was in Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury closed out his on-ice career with the Pittsburgh Penguins in front of an adoring home crowd.
The night was perfect. It was the send off both the fans and Marc deserved. The excitement built up over the course of the game and spilled over when Fleury and his iconic yellow pads took the crease for the final time.
Every time he handled the puck there were loud cheers. Every save elicited reactions of a goaltender saving their team in a playoff overtime game. For at least one evening, people were happy and excited to be at a Penguins game.
It is no secret the Penguins aren’t exactly on a fast track to being highly competitive again. There are going to be plenty of downs before things trend up. At least for one night we could put our blinders on and enjoy the moment(s) provided by Flower putting the Penguins crest back on.
The excitement wasn’t limited to the fans. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang were glowing the entire evening.
Family
Even Fleury’s kids got in on the action
One more period
Finally, it was time for the moment everybody was waiting for. Marc-Andre Fleury took the ice in the black and gold for one more period
Flower came in with a 2-1 lead and made all eight saves in the Penguins 4-1 victory smiling the entire time.
Afterwards Flower tried to put into words what this situation meant for him
This may be the high water mark this season despite it being a preseason game. The vibes were immaculate and everybody left the arena with a joyous feeling. For one night, it felt like it used to for so many years. Thank you to Kyle Dubas for putting this together and providing everyone with one last bloom.
Thank you, Marc
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