With Sidney Crosby by his side, Marc-André Fleury pens fitting farewell: ‘It’s been perfect’

STOCKHOLM About 30 minutes after Team Canada practiced at Hovet Arena, Sidney Crosby stood in the right circle before methodically skating toward the net and firing a shot.

The goaltender denied it with a sprawling save, then aimed his glove directly toward Crosbys face and grinned.

After a 21-year NHL career, Marc-Andre Fleury is going out on his terms, saying goodbye with his favorite captain by his side.

Advertisement Fleury, who retired from the league after the Minnesota Wilds season ended May 1, is enjoying a swan song at the World Championships before his playing career truly ends in the next few days.

And hes doing it with Crosby, his Pittsburgh Penguins teammate for 12 seasons.

Neither star would have it any other way.

This is kind of perfect, Fleury told The Athletic last week.

And you know what I miss the most about playing with Sid? Days like this, just staying on the rink for an hour after practice, just challenging each other.

Days like this, I dont want to leave the rink.

How it happened Sometimes, the best stories arent planned.

This wasnt a ploy by Crosby and Fleury.

Fleurys Wild gave the Vegas Golden Knights quite a series in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and had the Wild finished off the upset, Fleury would still be in Minnesota.

The playoffs always matter most, Fleury said.

But Minnesota fell to Vegas in six games.

Canada needed a goaltender in Sweden badly, and while Canada general manager Kyle Dubas wasnt sure what the answer would be, he knew he had to make the call.

Once Minny was eliminated, I called Billy (Guerin) and sought permission, Dubas said.

Honestly, I had no idea what the answer would be.

I knew from afar how much he loves hockey, but when the guy is 40 and youre coming off of a long season, you dont really necessarily expect someone to say yes.

Of course, you always consider that its so obvious how much joy he gets from hockey, so I guess youre not shocked if someone like that says yes, either.

Crosby continued to skate daily at the Penguins practice facility after their regular season ended April 17, determining if his body would be able to endure the two-week tournament.

I was 50-50 at the time, he said.

Just was trying to determine if I was good to go physically and mentally.

Around the time Crosby was making that decision, he received a text from an old friend.

I never even thought about the possibility of playing with him over here, Crosby said.

But then Flower texted me.

He had gotten word from Kyle, and he was thinking about going.

So, then I told him I was going to go.

Within a couple of days, he decided to come over, too.

Advertisement Fleurys decision wasnt difficult.

Think about it, he said.

Why wouldnt I come over here? You get to keep playing hockey a little while longer.

Get to play with Sid one last time.

There was something else, too.

Fleury has had a strange relationship with Team Canada over the years.

A misplay in the 2004 World Junior Championship against Team USA haunted Fleury for quite some time, and only once was the future Hall of Famer selected to play in the Olympics, where he never saw a minute of playing time in Vancouver in 2010.

But, Fleury said, pointing to the Canada logo on his chest, wearing this sweater still means the world to me.

To do it one last time? Its everything.

The perfect ending Fleury and Crosby are receiving rock-star treatment in Stockholm.

Swedish cameras track them as they walk off the bus together before every game.

Their names receive louder cheers than the rest in pregame warmups.

NHL players of their caliber and their age dont always make this quest.

This is so nice, Fleury said.

Me and Sid, we spent so many years together, so much time together, just talking about hockey, life.

We won a lot together, too.

Its been a few years since we could really sit down and talk, spend some time together.

Its been perfect.

I really thought I was done after we lost to Vegas.

So, just to have one more chance to play? To keep going a little bit longer? I couldnt turn that down.

Im glad Kyle called.

Hes the ultimate hockey junkie, but in seasons when the Penguins campaign ends without a parade, Crosby usually prefers to vacation in Europe instead of watching the playoffs.

Not this year.

He was watching when Vegas eliminated Minnesota in Game 6 because he knew it was the last time hed see Fleury in an NHL sweater.

I was watching his last game but it never really occurred to me at the time that we could have this opportunity, Crosby explained.

Advertisement This is pretty awesome.

The younger Team Canada players dont want to leave the ice after practices because Crosby and Fleury are still out there, looking like kids.

And Flower hasnt changed a bit, said Crosby, who first met Fleury at the 2004 World Juniors.

He was funny then, and he still is.

Hes exactly the same guy.

He just has an energy about him thats different.

Crosby has always enjoyed watching Fleurys impact on others.

The appeal that struck Crosby as a teenager has never faded.

Another of Crosbys best friends has relished his slice of the Fleury experience.

This guy is incredible, Nathan MacKinnon said.

Always makes you laugh.

Im glad Im getting to know him.

Crosby isnt shocked that MacKinnon and the rest of Team Canada is enjoying having Fleury around.

I always saw it on our team over the years and Ive heard about it from guys who played with him after he left Pittsburgh, Crosby said.

Hes one of a kind.

Crosby is one of the tournaments leading scorers, and Fleury, alternating starts with Jordan Binnington, has been lights out between the pipes for Canada.

Lets just say Im glad Sid and Flower are here, Dubas said.

One of the central figures in Fleurys life for more than two decades is thrilled, too.

Marc-Andre and Sid bonded together from the very beginning, said Fleurys agent, Allan Walsh.

Two first overall picks, on the same team, blossoming at the same time as NHL players and then stars.

They walked in the dressing room door as kids, and everyone watched in awe as they transformed into men.

Now, many of the young players in the Canadian locker room are enjoying the experience of being around a couple of icons.

Unreal, Macklin Celebrini said.

You just try to soak it all in.

The future Fleury looks like he could still play for a couple more seasons.

That, he said, will not happen.

No, no, he said.

Im done.

...

I debated it last year.

I didnt have to play as much this season, which made it a little easier on my body.

But trust me, every time I played this season, I felt pretty old the next morning.

I hadnt felt that before.

Age caught up.

Advertisement Fleury and his family had previously decided to settle in Las Vegas, but those plans have changed, and instead theyll stay in the Minneapolis-St.

Paul area.

Crosby, who turns 38 in August, keeps trucking along as one of the NHLs best players even as his Penguins are rebuilding.

This is the perfect ending for Fleurys bittersweet season he was called into action in Game 5 against Vegas, only to fall in overtime and for Crosbys frustrating one.

Im just glad it worked out like this, Fleury said.

Fleury doesnt know when hell return to Pittsburgh again, but make no mistake, he will.

Players dont sign one-day contracts to retire where they started as often in hockey as in other sports.

But ...

I dont know, Fleury said.

Not my decision, right? But I have many great memories from Pittsburgh and my time there, Ill tell you that.

Thats the team that gave me a chance, the team I won with.

That city always means a lot to me and always will.

Dubas is well aware.

Its important moving forward that we honor Flower the right way as an organization, Dubas said.

It was so apparent in October when Minny came to Pittsburgh, just what he means to people.

Not just the staff or the players.

Im talking more about the fans, the reaction they had to him.

It was incredible.

Hockey doesnt really do the one-day contracts and stuff like that.

But other sports do it in a certain way, too, bringing former players back.

Its something we are thinking about, a way to honor him properly.

Its important that we honor him the right way.

Dubas, being around Fleury for the first time, is learning what everyone else in Pittsburgh already knew.

Its hard not to like him, Dubas said.

Talk about a magnetic personality.

Its just nice having him here.

The hockey world has enjoyed having him around for more than two decades.

The bond between Crosby and Fleury, of course, will live on much longer.

Advertisement It just didnt seem right.

It didnt seem fair, Walsh said of Fleurys departure from Pittsburgh.

So for Flower and Sid to be teammates one last time, to share one last hurrah together playing for Team Canada, it sets up a possible storybook ending with Flower able to ride off into the sunset as a world champion.

When their post-practice showdown ended, Crosby and Fleury departed the ice not because they wanted to but because the Swedish ice crew made them leave.

Two vacant stools sat outside Canadas locker room, so Fleury plopped himself down on one and Crosby followed, sitting on the other, their skates dangling a couple of feet above the floor like a couple of kids enjoying the sport they love.

This is great, Crosby said with a smile.

Being out there with Flower, the way hes still running his mouth.

Its perfect.

Fleury smiled.

Im having so much fun right now, he said.

(Top photo: Christine Olsson / Getty Images).

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