Marc-Andre Fleury’s Final Game In Pittsburgh Went Exactly The Way It Should Have

It was an emotional night in Pittsburgh with long-time Penguins and current Minnesota Wild backstopped Marc-Andrê Fleury making his final appearance in the city where he started his career.

And the night — for the most part — went Fleury's way. As it should have.

The three-time Stanley Cup champ, former Vezina Trophy winner, and shoo-in for the Hockey Hall of Fame announced over the summer that this season would be his last. So, barring a mid-season trade or the Wild and Penguins meeting in the Stanley Cup Final (which I'm comfortable saying will not happen), Tuesday night was the last time Fleury would appear in an NHL game in the Steel City.

So, there was some nice reminiscing throughout the night — both of the team's success with Fleury between the pipes and his legendary pranks — and he also snapped a quick photo with his former teammates Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

Now, that's a cool moment… although it is hilarious that Malkin is posing like a peewee hockey player on picture day.

Once the game got going, Fleury wasn't suddenly treated like any visiting reminder, with the fans chanting his name the whole night.

Which he more than deserved. Remember, FLeury didn't say a word when he had the starting job thrown into question after the Penguins back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017, and it wasn't his choice to leave town.

He didn't have to make that choice because Pittsburgh left him exposed in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, and the Vegas Golden Knights weren't going to pass on a future Hall of Famer.

So, while Fleury hasn't worn a Penguins jersey in 7 years, he's still one of the most beloved athletes in town.

As for the game, well, it didn't get off to a hot start, with Fleury giving up the first two goals. However, the WIld — who look great so far this season — stormed back with the next four goals.

The Penguins pulled within one, but WIld star Kirill Kaprizov put the game on ice with an empty-netter.

Then it was time for one more tip of the cap to the man of the hour, who was named first star of the game.

What a classy send-off from the folks in Pittsburgh and such a well-deserved one for one of the best goalies in NHL history.