Marc-Andre Fleury made his World Championship debut Sunday in Canada’s 7-1 victory over Latvia, adding another milestone to his decorated NHL career.
The tournament serves as the final chapter in Fleury’s 21-year NHL career.
“Every time you wear the Canadian jersey, it’s such a great experience and always an honor to be able to play with that jersey on,” Fleury said postgame when asked about his decision to play at the Worlds, effectively postponing his retirement by a couple of weeks.
“A chance to play with these guys in the locker room, too, I think was very appealing. I don’t know, why not? It’s a lot of fun, I’m going to try and enjoy this as much as I can.”
Fleury allowed a goal to Eduards Tralmaks just over seven minutes into the game but stopped everything after that.
He finished with 16 saves on 17 shots and was named Canada’s player of the game.
Fleury recovered well during a tense moment after turning the puck over behind his own net.
MARC-ANDRE FLEURY #MensWorlds pic.twitter.com/Ity100ajr9
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 11, 2025
He also showed off his signature poke check in the third period.
“It’s fun, it was a little bit of a tough start there, but it was a good time,” Fleury said with a smile.
Canadian teammate Travis Konecny is enjoying the opportunity to play with the future Hall of Famer.
“I’ve never really had a chance to play this close to him, other than when he’s stopping me in the NHL,” the Philadelphia Flyers forward said. “He’s great, I mean, he’s a lot of fun to play for. He’s always having a good time in there. He makes you feel comfortable.”
The tournament has special significance for Fleury, who needs just one World Championship gold medal to join the Triple Gold Club.
He won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2009, 2016, and 2017) and earned a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, though he didn’t appear in any games.
Fleury completed the 2024-25 NHL season with the Minnesota Wild, who were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the first round. He appeared in Game 5 when he replaced an ill Filip Gustavsson, making six saves on seven shots in an overtime loss.
Canada’s goaltending trio at the Worlds includes Jordan Binnington, who started at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and Dylan Garand, who stopped all 11 shots in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Slovenia.
