Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves to earn his first shutout of the season, leading the Minnesota Wild to a 4-0 victory over the Canadiens on Thursday night in what is likely his final game in Montreal.
The 40-year-old Fleury, from Sorel-Tracy, about 50 miles northeast of Montreal, is retiring after this season. He now has 76 career shutouts, with three of them coming at Bell Centre, where over 100 of his friends and family cheered him on.
With this shutout, Fleury became the first goalie in NHL history to record a shutout as both a teenager and at 40 or older. His 76 career shutouts tie him with Tony Esposito and Ed Belfour for 10th place on the NHL’s all-time list.
“I was just hoping to not let in six,” Fleury said, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune. “A little stressed, but so many people watching, I wanted to put on a good show so they could remember me playing well.”
Fleury was the standout of the night.
The crowd cheered for over 30 seconds when the camera turned to him during the singing of “O Canada.” Canadiens fans gave him another long ovation during a TV timeout late in the third period, chanting “Fleury! Fleury!” Montreal players lined up to shake his hand after the game.
“A little surprised, but it was very kind and very humbling for me that they stayed out there,” Fleury said. Liam Ohgren and Devin Shore each scored their first goal of the season. Marco Rossi added a goal and an assist, and Frederick Gaudreau scored an empty-net goal.
Gaudreau emphasized the importance of the game, knowing Fleury was playing near his hometown.
“Guys would have blocked shots with their face if they had to, honestly,” he said. “That’s how everybody felt about this game.”
The Wild improved to 3-0 on their five-game road trip, following wins over Chicago (4-2) and Toronto (3-1).
Jakub Dobes made 23 saves for Montreal.
