On Wednesday, while Filip Gustavsson and Joseph Woll were the starting goalies for the Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs, a special moment took place with the backup goaltenders at Scotiabank Arena. Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray met at center ice for a reunion, sharing the ice in NHL uniforms for what could be the last time in their careers.
Murray told, “It was just great to see him. I don’t get to catch up with him too much anymore. So whenever I do see him on the ice, we always say hi and just wish each other the best.”
Fleury, 40, announced before the season that this would be his last. He signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Wild, deciding to focus on his family and reflect on his incredible career. Fleury has expressed peace with his decision, knowing he has accomplished everything he hoped to in the NHL.
Meanwhile, Murray has been fighting for his place in the NHL after undergoing bilateral hip surgery that kept him out for the entire 2023-24 season. He made a return this year and is now the third goalie for Toronto, behind Woll and Anthony Stolarz, who is recovering from knee surgery.
It was a rare reunion for the two goalies who helped lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. Murray said, “Obviously, we have a special bond with a couple of Stanley Cups together. Him being my first real mentor when I got to the league. So I owe a lot to him. He’s obviously a very lovable guy.”
When Murray started to outperform Fleury during his rookie season in 2015-16, it created a tough dynamic between the veteran Fleury and the rising star. Despite the challenge, Fleury remained professional, providing guidance that helped Murray succeed. Murray said, “He’s the best guy.
He was such a good part of why we’ve won those two years. He was so good to me in a tough situation for him, so I owe him a lot.”
After Murray’s success, they had to part ways when the Penguins could only protect one goalie in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Fleury was selected by the Golden Knights, where he helped lead the team to the Stanley Cup final in their first season.
