|
Marc-Andre made his National Hockey League debut on October 10, 2003, when the Pittsburgh Penguins faced the Los Angeles Kings at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. The first-overall selection in the previous summer's draft, Marc was nearly two months away from his nineteenth birthday. Just thirty-eight seconds into the contest, the Kings' Eric Belanger beat Fleury on a shorthanded breakaway by wristing a shot over his left shoulder. However, after getting beaten on the first shot of his NHL career, Fleury was spectacular the rest of the way, stopping eleven shots in the first period, nineteen in the second, and sixteen in the third. Although the Penguins were outshot, 48-11, the Pens were only down 2-0 when Fleury was pulled for an extra skater. The highlight was when he was presented with the task of stopping a penalty shot with 2:21 remaining in the game. He responded admirably, poking away the puck from fellow rookie Esa Pirnes before the Finn could get off a shot. "It was good to stop it," Fleury said. "I thought I saw where he might go and I went out to beat the shot." "The kid played exceptionally," Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux said. "He showed he's a great talent. The way he played in the first game was everything we hoped for."
|
