I’ll tell you what, the Blackhawks haven’t gotten a lot of things right lately, but I would be lying if I tried to sit here and pretend that the tribute to Marc-André Fleury in honor of his 500 career wins didn’t get me a little misty-eyed.
The Blackhawks opened the ceremony with personalized messages from teammates and fellow members of the elite 500 win club Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy.
Martin Brodeur & Patrick Roy welcome Marc-Andre Fleury to the 500 club 🤝 pic.twitter.com/W3tI2DuH45
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) December 16, 2021
After Fleury joined his wife and three children on the ice, the Blackhawks played a beautiful highlight montage complete with each century mark in his quest to five-hundred wins announced by his children, complete with heartfelt congratulations from his wife and kids.
The road to 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ for 🌸 pic.twitter.com/fHC3wLMFxA
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 16, 2021
The Blackhawks capped the pre-game festivities by having Kevin Lankinen present Fleury with a commemorative mask donning the artwork of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, and Chicago Blackhawks.
Marc-Andre Fleury presented with a commemorative mask for his 500th career NHL win. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/cZikfeV85P
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 16, 2021
The Blackhawks even had custom No. 500 jerseys made for everyone to wear during warmups.
#Blackhawks all have No. 500 jerseys on during warmups in honor of Marc-Andre Fleury’s 500th career NHL win. pic.twitter.com/qcpRNMGF7R
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 16, 2021
What an incredible tribute, fitting for a class-act player and a future Hall of Famer. Hats off to the Blackhawks, and congratulations to Marc-André Fleury!