This has been a solid season for him as the Wild’s backup to Filip Gustavsson, Fleury going 10-5-1 with a 2.76 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. Earlier this month, he nabbed his 66th career shootout victory against Washington and longtime competitor Alex Ovechkin to extend his NHL record.
He also hit the 10-win mark for the 20th time Jan. 20 at Colorado to tie Martin Brodeur for the most in league history, this after Fleury reached 1,000 games and passed Roy for the second-most wins all-time last season.
At 1,042 career games, he’s two away from tying Roberto Luongo for second.
“It’s crazy how it goes by,” said Fleury, who also moved past Roy (who coaches the New York Islanders) for second place in minutes played during his last start. “It’s a good reminder to enjoy every day, take it in, go one day at a time, don’t think too far ahead, enjoy that day, try to make the most out of it.”
Fleury isn’t second-guessing his decision to retire, which he announced last April in conjunction with re-signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Wild.
The 40-year-old still feels good, but he thinks he’ll be ready to be done after he’s played his last game.