Career QMJHL Stats:
GP:151
W:63
L:52
T/OTL:17
GAA:3.19
SP:.933
Marc-Andre Fleury has had a successful career thus far. He was drafted 16th overall in the 2000 QMJHL entry draft after a season with the Coll. Charles-Lemoy Riverains in the QMAAA. Fleury played with the Eagles that season, splitting time with Daniel Boisclair. The next season, he was the starting goaltender.
Fleury played stellar for Cape Breton. Making the conference final in the 2001-02 season. The next few playoff runs were upsets however. This did not stop scouts from taking notice. Because of his impressive stats and play, he was pegged as the top goaltender in the 2003 NHL draft. The struggling Pittsburgh Penguins had the first overall pick that year, and with little goaltending depth, drafted Fleury in the first round, first overall, only the second goalie to be selected first since Rick DiPietro in 2000, and we all know how that turned out. Different story for Fleury however.
During his first NHL season in 2003-04, he spent time backing up goalies Jean-Sebastian Aubin and Sebastian Caron, before being sent to play in the world junior championships, and back down to Cape Breton. Fleury also broke the record set by Rick DiPietro for youngest goalie in the league, 3 months younger than him. Both were 18.
Fleury made his first start on October 10th, 2003, making 46 saves against the Los Angeles Kings in a 3-0 loss. He got his first win the next game against the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3.
Fleury spent the next season in the AHL due to the lockout and posted good numbers for a 19 year old starting goalie.
The next season, 2005-06, he once again started in the AHL, but was called back up due to injuries. He bounced up and down between the NHL and AHL a few times before cementing his roster spot.
Fleury's NHL career was in full swing in the 2006-07 season, where he played his first full season, going 40-16-9 with a 2.83GAA and a ,912SP.
In 2007-08, he was once again the starter, but suffered an ankle injury which put him out for a while, and also resulted in his return to the AHL playing on a conditioning stint for the Wilkes-Barrie Scraton Penguins. The Penguins made it to the Stanley Cup final that year, they lost however, to the Detroit Red Wings. Also that year, specifically January 18th, 2008, the Screaming Eagles retired Fleury's #29 jersey.
The 2008-09 season went smoothly, Fleury was the starter and once again made the Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings. This time, it was Fleury's time. The Penguins defeated the Wings and Fleury won his first Stanley Cup championship.
Fleury and the Penguins had a good next few regular season, but was tarnished with 3 early playoff exits in a row (2011,12,13). Fleury is still currently the Penguins starter, and will be for the foreseeable future.
Elite Prospects: http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=3655
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc-André_Fleury
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