Marc-Andre Fleury Appreciation Thread (Selected by Vegas in exchange for 2020 2nd)
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Don'tcry4mejanhrdina
Registered User
No, he sucked in two playoffs (or more). He never blew anything for the team. It's not like the Pens played amazing and he sunk the ship on his own. Every year he sucked, so did the team.
Dragon Priest
Elvenlegions
My Thoughts exactly. By far the best, most consistent, player for the Penguins this season. Without him, this team doesn't even come close to the playoffs.
Let the Fleury hate go already. He was a major reason they even made it to the playoffs and had a chance to beat the Rangers. And "so many"? He was horrible in two playoff years. That among other issues that wasn't just all on him. Again, he wasn't the reason for such failure, but he was A reason. This year, not so much.
I'm in that boat. Very proud and happy to see him finish the season out strong and put together a Vezina type of season from start to finish while also giving the team a chance in the playoffs to win. Goaltending shouldn't be an issue for the team going into next year given the success of Flower and the others down in WB/S.
Breaks my heart that he didn't play like this - like he should've with proper coaching - when the team was worthy of him
Dipsy Doodle
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He put up historically bad numbers for a starting goalie in the runs between '10 and '13, and the one time we replaced him, a 37 year old back-up played amazing behind the same defense and we went to the ECF.
Fleury was great this year, but he was the main reason among players when we flamed out. There's very little compelling evidence to suggest otherwise.
Yep. You're just not, "one of the problems" when your GM is begging you to see a sports psychologist for a few years straight. Also being a bigger cog just goes with the goalie job.
Dipsy Doodle
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I don't want to rag on the guy in a props thread, but I don't want any revisionist history going on here either. Fleury was hot garbage when it counted for nearly half a decade. Credit to him for pulling himself out of it.
Agreed.
As I posted earlier, but will do so again, to stay true to the thread intention.....
Fleury was our MVP this season, regular and post.
Dipsy Doodle
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tom_servo
Registered User
I don't think Fleury has put together so many drama-free games in his life. Pleasure watching him this series.
Darth Vitale
Dark Matter
Very happy to say my displeasure with Shero not getting rid of both MAF and Bylsma two summers ago, turned out to be wrong on at least one of the two counts.
MAF did get better last year in the playoffs, and this year he got another level better still. He should have earned everyone's respect back at this point. He's still human and will have his bad games but I think the spastic beachball fever is done for. He and his new coach worked at it and obviously his game is much improved consistency-wise from two playoffs ago and earlier.
MAF proved that contract was as a good move, not an easy thing to do with all the pressure on him. I was definitely wrong about him. I thought he was going to be a career regular season goalie.
MAF did get better last year in the playoffs, and this year he got another level better still. He should have earned everyone's respect back at this point. He's still human and will have his bad games but I think the spastic beachball fever is done for. He and his new coach worked at it and obviously his game is much improved consistency-wise from two playoffs ago and earlier.
MAF proved that contract was as a good move, not an easy thing to do with all the pressure on him. I was definitely wrong about him. I thought he was going to be a career regular season goalie.
BigEezyE22
Continuing to not support HF.
The point was more to refute the comments that he's blown every one since '09.
OK. Even though I'll say Philly was a team meltdown and effort of playing fire wagon hockey that no goaltender played well in, I'll give you Philly.
What other year was he the main reason among players that we flamed out of the playoffs? You can say he was horrible after he broke down against the Islanders. Fine. The Penguins went on to win that series then get swept in a embarrassing fashion by Boston with Vokoun in net.
Other years? no, he wasn't the main reason the Penguins 'flamed out'.
JQR
Clearly it's Lovejoy
- Jan 25, 2012
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I'm not convinced yet. After 2 good seasons/post seasons I'll be convinced. I've already sent him a letter to let him know that a random Pens fan on a hockey forum is not yet convinced that he's a better goalie, so I'm sure he'll take it to heart.
But yes, he played great this season. Couldn't have asked for a better goalie.
Honour Over Glory
Fire Sully
- Jan 30, 2012
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Another year?
Wait, so were you hibernating last year? Don't be such a cassius, no one should be a cassius, I dropped a cassius today and I still feel unclean...forever unclean. The same problems happened then too (the previous playoffs), Pens just stopped scoring but the changes were evident last year's playoffs and this year was just him being on point the whole way and the team in front of him disappointing yet again.
He's given us 2 solid years before and he's given us a decent year last year and a very good one this year in the playoffs.
People will still hate though. Idiots the lot of them.
Honour Over Glory
Fire Sully
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Philly was a collective collapse. Crosby acted like a big baby who didn't get the bigger piece of candy with his antics, no matter how hilarious they were, Fleury just lost his **** too but can you recall anyone being any good in that series? I sure as hell can't. Malkin lost his cool, Letang lost his cool, Crosby lost his cool, Fleury was rattled too. That Flyers series put a huge spotlight on what the Penguins biggest weakness was - Composure.
The part that really gets me is this...
People here make it a point to chastize Fleury every chance they get when he makes a mistake, this year in the playoffs he is not the problem.
But guess who didn't score and is paid a ton? A lot of names on that list.
Mordax
You make it hard
Why not? Everyone's quick to throw him under the bus in the past, saying he "wasted another season of Crosby/Malkin in their prime". This year, he does his job better than anyone could have asked and the team loses in the 1st round, largely because Crosby/Malkin didn't show up (again...).
Where's the "Crosby/Malkin just wasted a year of Fleury in his prime!!" outcry?
Yeah, I have to eat crow on this one too. I wanted him gone and thought the extension was a big mistake but he's now strung together back to back solid playoff performances.
JQR
Clearly it's Lovejoy
- Jan 25, 2012
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