Marc-Andre Fleury becomes first NHL goalie to record a shutout as a teenager and at 40

Marc-Andre Fleury made history Thursday night, becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout as both a teenager and at 40, as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-0.

Fleury made 19 saves to earn the shutout, his first of the season and the 76th of his 21-year NHL career, which ties him for 10th all-time with Eddie Belfour and Tony Esposito. The 40-year-old netminder now has an 11-5-1 record with a .908 save percentage (SV%) and 2.60 goals against average (GAA) this season.

The game held extra significance for Fleury, who grew up just an hour outside of Montreal and cheered for the Canadiens as a kid. Fleury has announced that this would be his last NHL season, and the game would be his final appearance in his home province of Quebec.

“I was a little stressed for this game, playing my last one here at home in Quebec in front of my family, in front of my friends,” Fleury said to reporters after the game. “I’m glad everything went well. I was just hoping not to let in six.”

Fleury, taken No. 1 overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, has a record of 572-335-97, starting 880 games in 1,043 career appearances with the Wild, Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks.

Fleury won three Stanley Cup championships, all with the Penguins, in 2008-09, 2015-16 and 2016-17, then helped the Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Final in their first season in 2017-18. He also won a Vezina Trophy as a member of the Golden Knights in 2020-21.

His 572 career wins are the second-most in NHL history, a feat he achieved last season when he passed Patrick Roy on the all-time list. He is also just the fourth goalie in league history to appear in 1,000 career NHL games.