ST. PAUL, Minn. — Marc-Andre Fleury has exited the NHL after 21 seasons in the net, eager for more family time and an end to the on-ice tributes while fully accepting at age 40 that he’s no longer at his best.
OK, so he’s not quite ready to completely call it quits.
Fleury revealed on Monday during a season-ending interview in Minnesota that he has agreed to join Team Canada for the ice hockey world championship later this month. With the Wild eliminated four days ago from the NHL playoffs, Fleury’s calendar is wide open.
“Just a little longer, right? I went home, my kids were crazy, I was like, ‘Geez, I’ve got to keep playing,’” Fleury said jokingly.
After apologizing aloud if he wasn’t supposed to announce his participation yet, Fleury said he was looking forward to reuniting with Sidney Crosby, his former Pittsburgh teammate who was the first celebrity addition to Canada’s squad.
“I think it’ll be fun to go spend some time together and yell at him in practice a bit, keep him honest,” said Fleury, whose postseason action was limited to the third period and overtime of Game 5 against Vegas when an illness forced Wild starter Filip Gustavsson out.
The tournament takes place in Stockholm, Sweden, and Herning, Denmark, starting on Friday and running through May 25. Hockey Canada announced Sunday that Crosby would join the team coached by Dean Evason, Fleury’s former coach with the Wild who’s now with Columbus. The only goalie who’d been announced previously was New York Rangers prospect Dylan Garand, though another regular NHL netminder surely will be next.
Those who go deep into the NHL playoffs can’t participate in the world championship, obviously, which is largely why this will be Fleury’s first time on the roster. He played in 170 postseason games, playing on three Stanley Cup winners with the Penguins and reaching a fourth finals with the Golden Knights.
Fleury played in the Olympics for Team Canada in 2010, as the third-stringer behind Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur.
