Marc-Andre Fleury barely had room to reach his car in Saint-Boniface, Quebec, on Sunday. Children, families and older fans packed around the former NHL goaltender outside Arena de Saint-Boniface, looking for a handshake, a photo or one more autograph before he left for Montreal.
Fleury had less than two hours set aside for the community celebration, but the line to meet him stretched far beyond the queue for photos with the Stanley Cup. With a flight to catch and security helping guide him through the crowd, he still stopped repeatedly for last-minute pictures and greetings.
“That’s awesome,” Fleury said of the turnout. “It’s great to be back in Saint-Boniface. I haven’t been here in a while. It’s good to see the kids and the people. I’m honored.”
Hockeyville celebration heads to Trois-Rivieres
The visit served as the community event ahead of Monday’s Kraft Hockeyville preseason game, with the Ottawa Senators meeting the Montreal Canadiens at Colisee Videotron in Trois-Rivieres. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, with the game airing on TVAS, SN1 and NHLN.
The matchup closes Canada’s 19th Hockeyville program. Saint-Boniface receives the spotlight, while fans in Trois-Rivieres get a rare chance to watch two Atlantic Division clubs expected to be in the playoff mix play in a smaller building.
- Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens
- Monday, 7 p.m. ET
- Colisee Videotron, Trois-Rivieres
- Broadcast: TVAS, SN1 and NHLN
For plenty of local fans, it will be their first opportunity to see NHL players from close range. Fleury knows how special those settings can be.
“It’s great for the people of Saint-Boniface and Trois-Rivieres,” he said. “Watching an NHL game live in those smaller rinks is really cool. I’m sure the players enjoy it, too.”
Roots close to home for Fleury
Though Fleury’s NHL career took him across North America, the region around Trois-Rivieres remains central to his hockey story. While playing minor hockey about 10 minutes away in Longueuil, he lived with his godparents, Guy Joyal and Manon Cardin, his mother France’s sister.
Joyal and Cardin followed Fleury throughout his rise, from the early youth-hockey rinks to the NHL draft stage and beyond. Joyal remembered a young goalie who simply loved playing.
“It was fun to watch him because he enjoyed it so much,” Joyal said. “His enjoyment and his ability were important parts of getting to the NHL.”
Fleury’s road from Quebec minor hockey produced an extraordinary resume:
- Four QMJHL seasons with Cape Breton.
- Silver medals for Canada at the 2003 and 2004 IIHF World Junior Championships.
- Stanley Cup championships with Pittsburgh in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
- Cape Breton retired his No. 29 on Jan. 25, 2008.
- He was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2003 NHL Draft.
Joyal and Cardin were in Nashville when Fleury became only the third goaltender chosen No. 1 overall, following Michel Plasse in 1968 and Rick DiPietro in 2000. The family expected Fleury to go somewhere around third or fourth before Pittsburgh made him the top pick.
“It was fabulous, marvelous,” Joyal said. “At the end, he went No. 1. The whole family enjoyed it.”
A career that still draws a crowd
Fleury’s NHL playing career ended after 21 seasons when the Minnesota Wild fell 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the 2025 Western Conference First Round. He then represented Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship before signing a professional tryout agreement with the Penguins on Sept. 12.
That deal set up a farewell in Pittsburgh, where Fleury appeared in a Sept. 27 preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He won all three of his Stanley Cups with the Penguins and will receive another major honor there this season.
- Fleury entered the Penguins Hall of Fame by unanimous vote on Aug. 20.
- He joins Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford and Jack McGregor in the 2026 class.
- The group will be honored before Pittsburgh hosts Ottawa at PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 14.
- Fleury was also inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame on Sept. 17.
His place in the League record book is already secure. Fleury ranks second all-time among NHL goaltenders in victories with 575, games played with 1,051 and time on ice at 60,669:03, each behind Martin Brodeur. His 27,188 saves rank third, trailing Brodeur’s 28,928 and Roberto Luongo’s 28,409.
“It’s obviously a huge honor,” Fleury said of the recent recognition. “It’s not really something you think about before you play, but it’s a great honor.”
Kids get their turn with the Cup
Before the Saint-Boniface gathering, local youth players took part in an NHL Players’ Association Goals & Dreams clinic. Greg Schell, a Toronto Maple Leafs youth and amateur hockey development coach, led team and individual instruction.
Afterward, the players met Fleury and had their own moment with the Stanley Cup. Schell said the scene showed young players where a dream can lead, especially with Fleury returning to the kind of community rink that helped launch his career.
“It’s Marc-Andre Fleury,” Schell said. “It really doesn’t get better than that. It’s incredible.”
Fleury will continue his Hockeyville connection next fall as an ambassador for Taber, Alberta, when the program marks its 20th anniversary. For now, his stop in Saint-Boniface offered a fitting reminder that even a goalie with 575 NHL wins can still make time for one more fan at the rink.
