From Mark Madden’s column in the Sept. 29, 2025 edition of Trib Live:

Marc-Andre Fleury’s curtain call Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena was hokey, carny and rooted in a money grab via selling out an exhibition game at inflated prices.

But it was incredibly memorable and worthwhile. Tear-jerking, heart-warming, the whole schmear. Absolutely flawless. I loved it.

That says something about the evening’s execution, which was exemplary.

But it says more about the night’s honoree.

That event only works with Fleury. Don’t try it again. (But I’m sure the Penguins will.)

Fleury is that genuine. That beloved. Perhaps more so than any Penguin besides Mario Lemieux. Not one thing about Fleury is calculating.

Fleury ran the gamut in Pittsburgh: Engaging teenager, Stanley Cup champ, epic Game 7 save, playoff scapegoat, beloved underdog, two more Stanley Cups, lamentable departure, series of warmly applauded returns, Saturday’s Fleury-mania.

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