Marc-Andre Fleury’s final NHL season ended with a Minnesota Wild playoff elimination at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights, and his retirement becoming official—sort of.
Less than a week after playing his last NHL game, the veteran goaltender has made it clear he wasn’t quite finished yet.
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Fleury, 40, confirmed that he will join Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championship in Sweden and Denmark, marking his first appearance at the tournament.
Speaking to reporters during the Wild’s end-of-season media availability, the longtime NHL netminder joked about his decision to delay full retirement.
“Yeah, after we lost that night, I was like, I’m done, you know,” Fleury said. “But a couple of days goes by, and I was like, yeah, I think that would be pretty cool… So just a little longer, right?
”I don’t know, I went home, my kids were crazy, I was like ‘Geez, I gotta keep playing again.’”
Fleury appeared in 26 games for the Wild this season, posting a 14-9-1 record and a .899 save percentage. He officially announced his retirement during Monday’s presser following the Wild’s first-round playoff loss to Vegas, but his agent Allan Walsh quickly revealed the World Championship invitation.
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This will be Fleury’s first time playing at the IIHF Worlds, a result of having spent most of his career in deep playoff runs, thus not being able to participate in the Worlds. The three-time Stanley Cup winner, however, did represent Canada at the 2010 Olympics.
Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome.Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Fleury will now reunite with Sidney Crosby, his close friend and former Pittsburgh Penguins teammate. The two shared the ice in Pittsburgh for 12 seasons and won three Cups together.
“I think it’ll be fun to go spend some time together and yell at him in practice a bit, keep him honest,” Fleury said when asked about that reunion.
Fleury is expected to start in net for Team Canada, which had only Dylan Garand and Carter George on the roster before his addition. Canada’s tournament begins Saturday, May 10, against Slovenia at Avicii Arena in Stockholm.
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