Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stands on the ice during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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A couple was sitting at a restaurant near T-Mobile Arena a few hours before the Golden Knights hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. One sported a Marc-Andre Fleury Pens jersey. The other was dressed in the Golden Knights version.
Yes, the fans of each franchise proudly claim the goaltender great as their own, even on an evening with Fleury in the pipes for Vegas against Pittsburgh in a 4-3 Golden Knights defeat.
Three years removed, Fleury is still considered one of Pittsburgh’s iconic sports figures, which in a town of Roberto Clemente and Mario Lemieux speaks volumes of his impact.
Rarely do you find an athlete equally beloved by supporters in two cities. Rarely do you find someone who was a key cog in significant moments in a franchise’s history, whether that was helping Pittsburgh win three Stanley Cups or being the driving force for expansion Vegas instantly becoming one of the league’s best teams.
Rarely do you find a star who is equally fond of both cities and who embodies everything each has to offer, whether that’s the lunch-pail, hardworking mindset in Pittsburgh, or the sheer class synonymous with Las Vegas.
He’s everything you want as the face of your franchise — personable and witty, charitable, kind, and most important, a legendary netminder.
“He’s a folk hero,” said Ron Lehocky, who traveled with his wife, Mary, and friends Troy and Debbie Green from Pittsburgh for Tuesday’s game strictly to watch Fleury. In line, they randomly met another couple from Pittsburgh here for the same reason.
Pittsburgh residents, from left, Debbie and Troy Green, and Ron and Mary Lehocky traveled to Las Vegas for a hockey game between the Golden Knights and Penguins. They are fans of Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, the former Pittsburgh netminder.
Vegas and Pittsburgh play each other twice a year — this was the seventh meeting between the franchises. Fleury’s first time back in Pittsburgh in 2018 featured ovations, a tribute video and plenty of nostalgia. Each game after, including Tuesday when Fleury gave up four goals on just 15 shots and blames himself for the loss, has a different feel.
“I don’t think it will ever be a normal game,” Fleury said. “But there aren’t many guys left from my time there. Always nice to see those guys, like the training staff. Just mad we couldn’t get the win.”
It’s that type of competitiveness that has been the difference in the Knights' rise. Even after Tuesday’s loss, they are 6-3-1 over the past 10 games and positioned for a third playoff appearance.
Fleury was supposed to be past his prime in 2017 when the Penguins left him unprotected for the expansion draft, having just won the Cup with Matt Murray as the starter. The Golden Knights were supposed to be a struggling first-year team, hoping to win at least 20 games in setting the foundation for future seasons.
They selected Fleury with the first pick, and within a few months, both assumptions were quashed.
Without Fleury in goal, of course, Vegas isn’t a perennial contender, nor does the team have such a devoted fan base from the Stanley Cup run in the inaugural season. Fleury became one of the era’s great goalies during a 13-year run in Pittsburgh; he cemented his Hall of Fame resume by extending his career in Vegas.
There aren’t many nights like Tuesday when Fleury says “he let in too many goals and cost us the game.”
Sure, he’ll always be a Yinzer, and rightfully so. Both of his children were born there. He financed a playground for underprivileged children there, a project which wasn’t completed until he was with the Golden Knights.
“We have become Pittsburghers,” Fleury wrote in a farewell letter in 2017. “Pittsburgh and its people will forever be in our hearts.”
And now he’s ours in Las Vegas, where he’s signed through 2022, and our town’s most notable star, maybe ever.
At the same time, he’s still the man for another team’s fan base — something that’s so powerful to witness.
That group of fans from Pittsburgh bought a Fleury shirt before the game, holding it up for a photo to message back to friends watching the game at home.
“He will always be one of the greats in Pittsburgh,” Lehocky said. “We won the Stanley Cup with him. He did as much for the community off the ice as he did on it.”
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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