- Marc-Andre Fleury’s autograph line at Kraft Hockeyville ran about five times longer than the one for the Stanley Cup
- The Senators and Canadiens close out the 19th Canadian Hockeyville with a preseason game in Trois-Rivieres on Monday
- Read below for what Fleury said about the turnout and what is still ahead of him in Pittsburgh
Marc-Andre Fleury needed a security escort to get out of a parking lot on Sunday.
The retired goalie was given an hour and 45 minutes for a meet-and-greet at the Kraft Hockeyville celebration outside Arena de Saint-Boniface, Quebec, and it was nowhere near enough. Kids, adults and seniors kept coming. His line ran about five times longer than the one waiting for a photo with the Stanley Cup.
He had a flight to catch out of Montreal and still stopped for last-minute pictures on the way to his car.
Fleury talked about the turnout with Jon Lane of NHL.com, and he sounded a little embarrassed by all of it:
“Oh, really? Pretty cool. A lot of kids. That’s awesome, awesome to be back in Saint-Boniface. I haven’t been here in a while. Good to be back. Good to see the kids, the people. Honored.”
Saint-Boniface sits about an hour from Sorel, where Fleury was born, and his hockey roots run through Trois-Rivieres, where he lived with his godparents as a kid. This was a hometown crowd in every way that counts.
The weekend wraps Monday night when the Senators and Canadiens meet at Colisee Videotron in Trois-Rivieres at 7 p.m. ET. Ottawa spent Sunday getting ready for the trip:
It is the 19th Hockeyville in Canada and the first one in Quebec since the Canadiens beat the Sabres 3-2 at Benoit-Levesque Arena in Roberval on Sept. 23, 2008.
Sunday capped a month of honors for Fleury. He went into the QMJHL Hall of Fame on Sept. 17, where a video message from Sidney Crosby left him wiping his eyes at the podium. Watch the moment:
The Penguins also put him in their Hall of Fame on Aug. 20 on a unanimous vote, alongside Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford and Jack McGregor. That ceremony goes Nov. 14 against Ottawa.
One more piece of hockey is still on the calendar. Fleury signed a professional tryout with Pittsburgh on Sept. 12 and is set to dress for a preseason game against Columbus on Sept. 27, a proper goodbye in the building where he won three Stanley Cups.
The career line reads 575 wins and 1,051 games, both second all-time behind Martin Brodeur. Next fall Fleury takes over as ambassador in Taber, Alberta, for Hockeyville’s 20th anniversary.
