NHL teams officially announced their nominations for the Masterton Award yesterday, Wednesday, Apr. 9, and it’s no surprise that the Minnesota Wild’s nomination is Marc-André Fleury in his final NHL season. It’s also fitting that it was announced on the day he likely started his final home regular-season game of his career.
The Masterton is probably the most difficult to award out of all the NHL awards because it’s based on a player’s perseverance and dedication to hockey. Every team has a more than worthy player, which makes it so hard to choose. However, Fleury is a player who should be nominated every year. The main reason is his fantastic character on and off the ice.
Fleury’s Monumental Character
Fleury has been in the game for 21 seasons, and over that amount of time, I don’t believe there’s ever been a bad word about him. He’s always been known as one of the nicest players in the NHL and among the hardestworking players on the ice every time he plays. However, what he does away from the puck stands out, and that is the attention he gives to the fans.
He goes out of his way to sign autographs for as many fans as possible, including after practices and during warmups. As many fans know, he is even thankful for his goal posts when the puck hits the pipe, even in practice. He has a heart of gold, and his character is one of the things that stand out the most about him.
On the ice, outside of thanking the pipes, he takes his job very seriously but isn’t afraid to have a little fun. He goes out of his way to make dramatic-style saves as he always has; he’s great at them, and fans love them. He’s hard on himself and never blames his teammates for a rough game. He is always the first to support them when asked. He deserves this award based on his character alone, but there’s more.
Fleury’s Expansive Career
While his character has been a big part of his career, the numbers he’s put up over those 21 seasons have also been phenomenal. He will be in the Hockey Hall of Fame; it’s not a matter of if but when. As everyone in the hockey world knows, one of Fleury’s longtime opponents, Alex Ovechkin, just broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record, and like Ovechkin, Fleury is not a stranger to breaking records.
In his team’s most recent overtime win over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, Apr. 9, Fleury earned his 70th career overtime win, setting a new NHL record for most overtime wins by a goaltender, formerly held by Martin Brodeur. That’s just one record he’s been a part of. He also took over second in all-time wins in the NHL and set a new record for shutting out the most franchises at 28.
He has 574 wins in over 1,000 games played and over 60,000 minutes played. It’s incredible to think a player, let alone a goaltender, could amass those numbers, especially in this day and age when the game is so fast and players are so powerful. Putting his character and career together, Fleury has earned this nomination.
Fleury’s Big Finale
After discussing his character and his career, there’s one final item to talk about: Fleury’s final year. He announced early in the season that this would be his final year in the NHL, and despite being asked numerous times, his answer has stayed the same: He’s not coming back.
Over the years, he’s won three Stanley Cups, a Vezina Trophy, and a William Jennings Trophy; he should be able to add the Masterton Trophy to that list. With his historical career and all he’s done, he deserves to have this as one of his final awards in his final year. It’s doubtful the Wild will get him one more Stanley Cup, but this nomination is a worthy award for him to win.
Fleury Earned This
After all his hard work and effort in the game of hockey, this award in the season that Fleury retires would be the most fitting ending outside of a Stanley Cup. Regardless, he’s one of the best players to play the game, and hopefully, he can end it with a few more awards to his collection.
