Fans of both the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild might have wanted to see Marc-Andre Fleury’s farewell Thursday night.
Unfortunately for any Golden Knights or Wild fans watching on ESPN, the Worldwide Leader cut to a different game instead.
ESPN was taken to task online after cutting away from Fleury’s final handshake line — which was more compelling, due to the fact it was with many members of his former team, Vegas — after the legendary goalie’s career ended with the Wild’s six-game series loss to Vegas in the Western Conference first round.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion played for five Stanley Cup Final qualifiers, including the 2018 Golden Knights, who won the Western Conference in their inaugural season 2017-18, thanks in part to Fleury’s excellent play.
Fleury has played for the Wild since 2022, when they acquired him at the trade deadline. He announced before this season that 2024-25 would be his last, and he received a hero’s sendoff after that season ended with a 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights.
Yet, those watching on ESPN instead saw Game 6 of the Kings vs Oilers series and missed the emotional handshake line and cheers from the crowd at XCel Energy Center.
Business as usual
ESPN has long been maligned by hockey fans, since the Worldwide Leader has had a roller-coaster relationship with the sport.
The NHL was one of the first live sports that ESPN broadcast, when it aired a Hartford Whalers vs Washington Capitals game Dec. 19, 1979. ESPN and ESPN2 became the national home for hockey, especially when ESPN and ABC took over the NHL’s exclusive national rights from FOX from 1998-04.
Still, NHL fans have long felt slighted by ESPN due to its lack of coverage aside from games — especially on the TV company’s flagship show, SportsCenter. This was especially true between 2004-21, when NBC held the national rights.
So when Vegas-area hockey writer and sports columnist Steve Carp tweeted his disdain for ESPN’s cutaway, many hockey fans echoed his frustration.
A modern legend
Fleury’s colorful personality may have endeared him to fans in Pittsburgh, Vegas and Minnesota, but his incredible goaltending is what kept him in the NHL for more than two decades.
The Penguins chose him with the first pick of the legendary 2003 NHL Draft, and he was the first brick of a foundation that ultimately became three Stanley Cup championship seasons and 16 straight Stanley Cup playoff appearances.
Fleury went from an 18-year-old starting in goal in 2003-04 to backstopping Pittsburgh to consecutive Cup Final appearances in 2008 and 2009, including the championship as a 24-year-old.
But his perseverance amid playoff struggles also made him likable across NHL fan bases. Plus, he did not cause a distraction while playing the role of backup to Matt Murray in Pittsburgh’s back-to-back Cup runs in 2016 and 17 — even though he won nine games, including a shutout in Game 7 against the Capitals in Washington, D.C., in 2017 before going back to the bench.
Fleury went to the Cup Final three straight years from 2016-18 and was 13-7 for Vegas in the 2018 playoffs. He finished tied with Grant Fuhr for third-most playoff wins by a goalie (92) and is second behind only Martin Brodeur for wins by a goalie (575) — and is the last remaining goalie with a tie to his record.
ESPN Blasted for Not Showing Golden Knights’ Legend’s Farewell