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

Colin Hodd | October 17, 2025 | 7 min read

Fleury's 575 regular season wins and 1051 games played both rank 2nd all-time in NHL history, placing him firmly in the GOAT conversation.
His 92 playoff wins (4th all-time) and 16 playoff shutouts (4th all-time) reinforce that his greatness extended beyond the regular season.
Fleury surpassed Tom Barrasso in every major statistical category for the Pittsburgh Penguins, both in the regular season and playoffs.
The 'product of circumstance' criticism applies to virtually all great goaltenders — luck in team and timing is part of every all-time career.
Fleury's arrival in 2003 is framed as a turning point that helped usher in a new era of NHL goaltending, beyond just his personal accolades.

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.

INGOAL