Mark Andre Fleury - goalkeeper from the "Pittsburgh Penguins"

The place of the main goalkeeper of the leading NHL club is not assigned to the player only for his former services to the team. This place needs to be defended daily, because in the back all the time promising newcomers are breathing, for which this is an opportunity to show themselves and gain a foothold in the team. Marc Andre Fleury, goalkeeper of the Pittsburgh Penguins unexpectedly found himself on the bench and now will try to regain the confidence of the team and coaching staff.

Biography of the goalkeeper from the "Pittsburgh Penguins"

Mark was born in a small town of Sorel-Tracy, which is located in the south-west of Quebec in Canada (November 28, 1984). Thanks to his French name, Mark André Flair was nicknamed "The Flower".

His career in the Junior Hockey League of Quebec, he began in 2000, speaking for the team "Cape Breton Skrimming Eagles." For high figures he was immediately included in the youth team of Canada, where he earned his first silver medal at the World Junior Championships. He was also noted as a reliable goalkeeper, speaking for the team of All Stars of the Junior League of Quebec (reserve squad).

At the age of 18, Mark Andre Fleury in Nashville was selected as the first number in the 2003 draft. In fact, he became the third goalkeeper in the history of the NHL, which showed this result. Prior to him, it was only Michel Plass (1968) and Ricu DiPietro (2000). The last, however, gaming career completed very early due to multiple injuries, which pursued a talented goalkeeper.

The first NHL team

The debut match for his new team Fleury spent the same year on October 10. The opponents of the "penguins" was the club "Los Angeles Kings" and the young goalkeeper set his personal record, making 46 saves and beating off one bullet. It should be noted that no matter how fate threw it, from the NHL to the AHL and back, he remained true to his team.

In the 2005/06 season, Mark Andre Fleury secured the right to be "number one" of the Pittsburgh club. But the goalkeeper deserved the special love of the fans of the "Pittsburgh Penguins" in 2008, when his team made their way into the playoffs of the Stanley Cup. The game, which demonstrated "Flower", was akin to science fiction. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Mark Fleury became just those players of the club, thanks to which the "penguins" made their way to the finals.

Despite the fact that the final match the team still lost, no one in my thoughts could blame the goalkeeper of the Pittsburgh team. But in a year the coveted Cup still found itself in the hands of the team. And from now on the triple Flary-Malkin-Crosby enjoys the special love of the fans of this club. True, this final match Mark did not perform as splendidly as the previous season, but was quite reliable, and his save 2 seconds before the end of the seventh final game made the heart beat faster.

Retired early

Despite the fact that in the seasons of 14/15 in Mark's career there has been a decline, it is still too early to write it off completely. Several unsuccessful matches do not mean that the goalkeeper of "penguins" has nothing to offer his team. His contract with the club was signed before 2018, and it is unlikely that Mark Andre Fleury plans to spend this time on the bench. Ahead of the World Championships and the Olympic Games, and place in the gates of the Canadian team can take any distinguished goalkeeper, so there is something to try. And the fact that the place of the main goalkeeper of the "Pittsburgh Penguins" is now occupied by the young and talented Matt Murray does not mean that Flair will sit back, of course, he will try to win his place in the club, demonstrating a reliable and stable game.

Mark André Fleury: hockey family

Mark officially formalized his relationship with Veronica Larose in 2012, although they were familiar for 15 years. In 2013, the little girl Estelle appeared in the family, which was named exactly by Mark Andre Fleury. The personal life of the hockey player was developing successfully, and in 2015 another daughter appears in the family, who was named Scarlett.

Despite the temporary setbacks on the ice, this goalkeeper was and still is the favorite of many fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the entire overseas hockey league. The contribution that he made to the development of this sport is much greater than all the mistakes he committed in recent seasons. By the way, Mark Andre Fleury is the gold medalist of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

I want to believe that the final point in the career of this goalkeeper is still very early, but how will the game develop with this, no doubt, the talented goalkeeper, time will tell.