PITTSBURGH (AP) \u2014 Returning to Pittsburgh for one final farewell just felt right for Marc-Andre Fleury.<\/p>\n
Fleury<\/a> stopped all eight shots he faced during the third period of his final game with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 4-1 preseason win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a little surreal, a little crazy, but also comfortable,\u201d Fleury said. \u201cWhen I played here with other teams, I always felt a little weird, but this felt normal \u2026 like it used to.\u201d<\/p>\n Fleury officially retired<\/a> from the NHL as a member of the Minnesota Wild at the end of last season. But the beloved 40-year-old goaltender<\/a> signed a ceremonial professional tryout contract earlier this month to see old teammates and friends, come full circle and complete a 21-season NHL career that began in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel bad because I\u2019ve done so many laps and goodbyes and I keep coming back,\u201d Fleury said. \u201cI\u2019m thankful I got the opportunity to come back for one more go-around.\u201d<\/p>\n Fleury, a former Vezina Trophy winner who also played with Vegas and Chicago, is second in NHL history only to Martin Brodeur with 575 wins and 1,051 regular-season games played, and his 76 NHL shutouts are tied for 10th in league history.<\/p>\n But this night was meant to celebrate Fleury, who is most well-known for his time in Pittsburgh where he won three Stanley Cups and holds nearly every major goaltending record in Penguins\u2019 history, including games played (691), wins (375), goals-against average (2.58), shutouts (44), playoff games (115), playoff wins (62) and playoff shutouts with 10.<\/p>\n Fleury, who practiced with the Penguins on Friday, wore his familiar bright, yellow pads and a specially made mask to commemorate the special weekend. Fleury was offered a choice as to when he could play on Saturday and he opted for the third period to try to win one more game with the Penguins.<\/p>\n The sellout crowd rose to its feet in unison and gave Fleury a standing ovation as he led the Penguins\u2019 from the tunnel to begin the third period. Loud chants of \u201cFle-ury\u201d \u201cFle-ury\u201d and \u201cOne More Year\u201d filled the arena minutes after the puck dropped to begin the period. Fans erupted with thunderous applause each time Fleury made a save or touched the puck, including stops on Hudson Fasching, Cole Sillinger and Erik Gudbranson.<\/p>\n In the final two minutes, with the game in hand, the crowd showered Fleury with chants of \u201cThank You Fleury.\u201d When the final horn sounded, fellow franchise cornerstones Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang embraced Fleury one more time in the crease.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time he touched the puck, the reception was unreal,\u201d Crosby said. \u201cIt felt like a playoff game. It was nice to get him the win.\u201d<\/p>\n Fleury spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Penguins. He helped Crosby, Malkin and Letang win the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017 before Vegas selected Fleury in the 2017 expansion draft.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh traded up to draft an 18-year-old Fleury No. 1 overall in 2003 during a tumultuous period in which the franchise nearly moved. More than two decades later, Pittsburgh is no longer a playoff fixture, but Fleury helped stabilize the franchise and turn the Penguins into one of the NHL\u2019s marquee teams.<\/p>\n His signature moment with Pittsburgh came June 12, 2009, in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against Detroit. Fleury made a last-second desperation, post-to-post diving save on Detroit\u2019s Nicklas Lidstrom to seal a 2-1 win and deliver Pittsburgh its third Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n The fans remembered on Saturday.<\/p>\n Before the game, crowds gathered multiple rows deep behind the Penguins\u2019 goal hoping to catch a glimpse of Fleury during his final pregame warmup with the team. Many took photos and video to commemorate the moment, wore familiar No. 29 jerseys and held homemade signs expressing their love for Fleury, who lobbed pucks over the glass in between facing shots.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was surreal to be back with the Penguins and seeing the guys in front of me,\u201d Fleury said. \u201cIt was amazing. It was just like old times.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n