Goaltending Mount Rushmore-Does Fleury Warrant a Spot Among GOATs?

Stories get flattened over time. I kept thinking about that while watching Marc-Andre Fleury’s farewell tour last season, and his farewell PTO with Pittsburgh in the preseason. The outpouring of love reflected a player whose obvious enthusiasm and acrobatic playing style made him easy to root for.

Last year he was described often as entertaining to watch. His old-guy status, still playing at 40, endeared him to those of us still strapping on our pads in the post-35 age bracket.

But Fleury was not just a loveable old guy who stuck around. He is nothing less than one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. By numbers, inarguably. But also in the way his arrival in 2003 heralded a new era of goaltending.