Pittsburgh player earns NHL award nomination for inspiring season

Marc-André Fleury has had a tough season in Pittsburgh this year, but not in the usual sense.

His play has been consistent, his attitude great, and his numbers solid. The 32-year-old Stanley Cup champion has posted 2.93 GAA and a .912 save-percentage across 36 games, the first time in his career with the Penguins where he hasn’t started the majority of games between the pipes.

It’s the factors outside of his play that have made this such a challenging season, and Fleury’s response to this adversity has earned him a nomination for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, rewarding the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.

It’s hard to argue against Fleury’s nomination. All season two narratives have dominated any talk around Pittsburgh’s veteran netminder: he’s losing his staring position to the young Matt Murray, and he won’t be with the Penguins next season due to a trade or thanks to the Vegas draft.

In a position where mentality is just as important, if not more so, than any other factor, these distractions could have derailed Fleury this season. But “flower” didn’t let that happen.

His numbers are down a bit from previous seasons, but it’s hardly affected the results: The Penguins are 18-8-7 with Fleury in net, good for 43 points. Fleury hasn’t let his pride affect his play, his team, or his relationship with Murray. He hasn’t let the constant media speculation, questioning, and prodding take away from his love of the game, or of the franchise he’s spent his career with.

The Bill Masterton Trophy could be the last award Fleury wins as a member of the Penguins, and his nomination is a testament to the calibre of player behind the goalie mask.