Fleury leaves heartbreaking farewell letter to Pens fans.

All the feels man, all the feels.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Fleury leaves heartbreaking farewell letter to Pens fans.
Getty Image

Marc-Andre Fleury has been gone for less than a week now but a lot of Pens fans are still reeling from the sadness. A fan favorite, Fleury carried the team to Stanley cups through intensity, skills and good humor. The ultimate prankster, he also has a more serious side in his personality that showed in an open letter to Pens fans published in The Players Tribune today.

It starts with a little historical background of his career. 

'' It started in Nashville, 14 years ago.

Kind of ironic right now.

The 2003 Draft was at the Bridgestone Arena. As a young 18-year-old from Quebec, all I was hoping for was to hear my name. Pittsburgh had the third pick overall, but at the last minute, they made a trade with Florida to pick first. I had heard rumors that I might get picked by one of the first few teams, but didn’t believe it until I heard Craig Patrick call my name.

Pittsburgh. I would have been happy anywhere, but I got drafted by Pittsburgh. What a blessing. I would, maybe, get to play with Mario Lemieux. I would, hopefully, get to play for the team that had won back-to-back Stanley Cups in ’91-92. I would have a shot at playing in the NHL.

The next 14 years were beyond my wildest dreams.''

Of course, you can't get competition out of the guy, but he's still a teamplayer to the end. 

'' I wish I could have been in net for my last game as a Penguin. But we raised the Cup, again, and it made all the sacrifices worthy. I felt proud — proud of my teammates for battling through injuries, for showing a lot of character, and for winning two years in a row. I am grateful that I had the chance to contribute to our success through the first rounds. And I feel very fortunate that the last time I have skated with a Penguins jersey, it will have been with the Stanley Cup in my hands. Not that it wasn’t an emotional moment.''

He went through a roller coaster of emotion in Pittsburgh and even faced history! 

''Everyone knows him as Le Magnifique, a hockey legend. I always loved watching him growing up. I remember the first time I stopped Mario in practice. It was a simple warmup shot. But you better believe that I kept that puck — and still have it at home.''

And then, he goes on about the amazing fans in Pittsburgh. 

''One of my best memories is from earlier this season, actually. We had just been on a road trip and it was our first game back home against Tampa Bay. I had been struggling a bit. I couldn’t buy a save, and I wasn’t feeling great about it. Everybody was getting ready for the anthem, and the crowd started chanting my name. It made no sense. I wasn’t playing well. The game hadn’t even started yet. But they were behind me anyway.

Fleu-ry, Fleu-ry.

Maybe they could sense that I was feeling a little down, and I needed it. ''

The letter is amazing from start to finish and we strongly urge you to read it. However, we will wrap it up with the one passage that got the goosebumps going. 

''And now here I am. I have a wife, two kids, and three Cups. I’m talking about my memories and saying my goodbyes. It might be an adjustment for my girls. They love waving the Terrible Towel and chanting, “Let’s Go Pens.”

Actually, when they see the Pens logo they say, “Go Papa Go!”

Thank you for everything, Marc-Andre Fleury.