Blackhawks deliver emotional video tribute to a teary eyed Marc-Andre Fleury
Tonight is a special night for the Blackhawks as it's Hockey Fights Cancer night. They also honored former Blackhawks goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Marc-Andre Fleury were an odd couple, the team acquired him during the 2021 season in a trade.
The deal sent Fleury to Chicago; in return, the Blackhawks sent a prospect to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights received minor league forward Mikael Hakkarainen in return.
He'd join the team for the 2021-2022 season and play only 45 games in Chicago.
"Having a goaltender like this on our team will put the talent we currently have on our roster in a better position to achieve sustained success. The entire organization is thrilled to have this future Hall of Famer on our team and his reputation of being an excellent teammate on and off the ice precedes him."
He'd leave Chicago with a 19-21-5 record, 2.95 GAA, and a .908 save percentage. A respectable record for a team on the cusp of rebuilding the year after.
Tonight, the Blackhawks honored Fleury's contributions to the game of hockey.
The team aired a video while Fleury was seen on the Minnesota Wild bench, wearing nothing but the smile we've seen from him plenty of times before.
Fleury has been one of the best goalies in the NHL and while his stay in Chicago was short, he's been nothing short of spectacular during his career.
He's won three Stanley Cups, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was one of the Vegas Golden Knights' "misfits" who went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018.
He's won 1 Vezina Trophy, a William Jennings Trophy and he's tallied 22 assists in 1,042 NHL games.
Fleury will hang up the skates for good, and close this chapter in his life leaving behind a legendary career in the NHL at the end of the season.
He's known as a great humanitarian, and I can't think of a better description for Fleury. We'll never forget his pranks though.
