Fleury has heartbreaking postgame moment with sons of deceased Humboldt coach
There aren’t many goalies in the NHL who have Marc-Andre Fleury’s résumé.
He’s a three-time All-Star, yet he’s usually skipped over when people talk about the best in the game.
He’s a three-time Stanley Cup champion, but lost his job to Matt Murray in Pittsburgh.
Then came what seemed like the ultimate indignity: The Penguins left Fleury unprotected in the 2017 Expansion Draft, and Las Vegas snatched him up.
Instead of pouting, Fleury has had one of his best seasons, leading the Golden Knights to within five games of the unthinkable — a Stanley Cup — in their first season.
After stopping 33 shots against Winnipeg in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday, Fleury made an even bigger save. He spent time with the two young sons of Humboldt Broncos coach/general manager Darcy Haugan, who was one of the 16 people killed when the Canadian junior team’s bus crashed in April.
There are just no words to describe Marc-Andre Fleury. Before he even took his pads off after game 3 of the Western Conference Final he spent time with the two sons of the Humboldt Broncos coach Darcy Haugan. They don’t make too many like him. pic.twitter.com/cIxbG6AhXo
— Kevaney Martin (@KevaneyMartin) May 17, 2018
Think about this story — Fleury was exhausted after a huge win, and yet his priority was to make sure Carson and Jackson Haugan had a night to remember.
Marc-Andre Fleury spent time after the game with the family of Humboldt Broncos coach and general manager Darcy Haugan. Haugan’s sons, Carson and Jackson, got to try on Fleury’s gear and talk to him about the game in the Vegas Golden Knights locker room. pic.twitter.com/9QxmApwtaG
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 17, 2018
Fleury is the latest NHL star to reach out to the survivors of the Humboldt family.
ESPN reported that his former Penguins teammate, superstar Sidney Crosby, wrote personal messages to each of the remaining members of the Broncos.
Others, such as Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and Oilers Connor McDavid, either visited families, or went to memorial services for those who perished.
ESPN also shared that a GoFundMe account set up for the team has raised more than $15 million in less than two weeks.
The Broncos recently announced that they will return to the ice next season.
Team president Kevin Garinger said in a statement that Haugan was “selfless, inspirational and motivating, building up his players to be great ambassadors and role models both on the ice and in the community.”
There’s obviously no substitute for the two boys who lost their father, but thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury, they were able — for one night anyway — to think about something else.
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