The great Marc-Andre Fleury's career has come to an unfortunate close. On Thursday the Minnesota Wild were eliminated by the Las Vegas Golden Knights, 3-2, in Game 6 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. It marked Fleury's final game in the NHL, as the veteran had already announced his impending retirement prior to the 2024-25 season and got to start his final home game on April 9.
The 40-year-old goaltender is likely a shoo-in for the Hockey Hall of Fame after winning three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2009, 2016, 2017) to go with five All-Star selections and a Vezina Trophy (2021).
It was ironic to see Fleury's career come to a close against one of his three former teams. "The Flower" played five seasons for the Golden Knights, reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the last time in his storied career in 2018.
ESPN cuts away before fans can see Golden Knights show Marc-Andre Fleury ultimate respect in final NHL game
Fleury's former teammates met their old goalie at center ice for the traditional handshakes after advancing to the second round over Minnesota. The Golden Knights stayed near the bench area to give him one final salute as he waved goodbye to the fans at Xcel Energy Center.
Fleury was serenaded by Wild fans with chants of his name raining down from the seats as he shook hands with the referees from Thursday's contest. After 22 seasons, the NHL will be without one of its most iconic netminders, ending an era for many hardcore fans.
But millions of hockey fans that tuned in for the game on ESPN were unable to witness the gestures of respect, as the network cut away from St. Paul, Minnesota, just as the handshake line was beginning in order to catch the start of the national anthems in Edmonton for the Oilers-Kings game.
Some fans online made their displeasure known as such a historic moment shouldn't have been ignored in such a nonchalant fashion.
While it's understandable that a network has to continue coverage, especially in the playoffs, it's not like ESPN doesn't have the bandwidth to start another game on a separate channel while sparing a few more moments for the end of an incredible career. Certainly Alex Ovechkin nor Sidney Crosby would receive such treatment when they ultimately hang up their skates.
It was a poor decision by ESPN and a historic moment that has been lost to the grainy cell phone videos of the internet to document Fleury's final moments on NHL ice.