“The mood has changed,” Marc-Andre Fleury WILLING to continue NHL legacy, halts retirement plans after 2023-24 season

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury finally puts fans’ worries to rest by announcing his willingness to continue playing for another season. The NHL base got spooked last year when his retirement rumors started going wild. He himself also noted he’s not sure about continuing after 2023-24 regular season games due to health issues.

However, in a recent interview with NHL.com, Fleury noted that he’s not ready to hang up his skates. He wishes to run with the Minnesota Wild for another year before making his final decision. The 39-year-old, flashing his classic smile, said, “Yeah, it’s probably Minnesota or retirement.”

The goalie was preparing for retirement after the regular season games and even went as far as to invite his family and friends to the rink, “just in case that was my last game at Bell Centre.” The anxiety has finally calmed down and “the mood has changed” compared to what it was in September or October last year.

I also thought it was going to be my last season…I rediscovered the joy of playing hockey.

Marc-Andre Fleury in an interview on NHL.com.

His health issues kept the goalie on edge throughout the Spring training season. Not only were his hips hurting but the team also kept losing matches at the start of the season which further deterred Fleury from making future plans. “I ended up feeling better,” and this positive change paved his road for another season run.

However, the team will likely not be participating in the playoff race. They currently sit eight points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. They only have 10 games remaining following Thursday’s 3-1 win against San Jose Sharks at Xcel Energy Center.

Marc-Andre Fleury marks family as the reason behind choosing to retire with Wild

Marc-Andre Fleury names Wild as the single team he’ll likely retire with if he signs 1-year extension contract. The main reason is his family. Fleury doesn’t want to move out of Minnesota and trouble his kids, “They’ve moved enough already” he said. Making new friends and shifting to another place will take a toll on his three kids, which ‘Flower’ wants to avoid. 

Although to continue playing with his current team will require a visit to GM Bill Guerin, it is likely to end positively. Guerin himself wanted to sign Fleury for another year, seeing how he’s still in form despite reaching 40 this year. 

I want to know what he thinks. What are the plans for the Wild? What are his options? What does he think about me? Am I still an asset for the team?

Marc-Andre Fleury in an interview on NHL.com.

Guerin on the other hand said he’s “more than open to the possibility” as he thinks Fleury still has some hockey left in him. Coach John Hynes also agrees with Guerin. Hynes complimented the netminder saying, there has been no performance drop, no ‘Flower’ energy lost in the locker room, still has the desire to play and win a Cup, so his contract extension will be more than welcome. 

Fleury thanked the fans for being an inspiration for him, for cheering, and for being there for him all these years no matter which team he played with. “I’m fortunate to still be in the NHL at my age,” he commented.

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