Vegas Golden Knights fans will remember Marc-Andre Fleury with absolute fondness and happiness. He remains the only Vezina Trophy winner in franchise history and set the benchmark for the Golden Knights in terms of goaltending. Add in four seasons where he had a save percentage of .917 and a GAA of 2.41 with Vegas, and it's easy to see why he's Las Vegas's resident "flower."
But there was also a time when he was an Olympian for Team Canada. Yes! He even got a gold medal once upon a time, thanks to his ex-teammate, Sidney Crosby, and his "golden goal." But the thing with him was that he was a part of those glorious Pittsburgh Penguins teams.
Long before he found a new life with the Golden Knights, he was the goaltending linchpin that kept those Penguins teams afloat. His athletic style was what helped Pittsburgh win three Stanley Cups, making them the dynasty of the 2010s.
But let's look at his time with Team Canada and see if he impacted the team positively. What did Fleury do during his time with the Canadians? Was he part of the dynamic Canadian team that stole the show in Vancouver and won gold?
Looking at Marc-Andre Fleury's time with Team Canada during the 2010 Winter Olympics
Fleury shared ice time with Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo during the 2010 Winter Olympics, constituting a loaded goaltender room for Team Canada. We're talking about five Vezina Trophies and six Stanley Cups combined amongst the three, with Brodeur and Fleury carrying the bulk of the accomplishments.
Still, the Canadians rode Luongo throughout the Olympics with Brodeur getting two starts. Lo and behold, he leads the Canadians to a gold medal with a stellar performance in the championship game against the Americans. The Canucks (and Panthers) legend stopped 34 of 36 shots, paving the way for Crosby to work his magic.
Alas, Fleury didn't see much time (if any, at all) during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Still, he got his gold medal and added another accolade to his huge list of accomplishments. Ironically, he wasn't the only former Golden Knight who made an appearance in Vancouver.
Of course, Fleury wasn't the only former Golden Knight to grace the ice at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Vegas Golden Knights fans will remember Phil Kessel for his short time with the franchise in 2022-23. He and the Americans were on the receiving end of the "golden goal" that won Canada the gold medal. While it's unfortunate that the NHL's resident "Iron Man" didn't win gold, the United States still had a great run.
They're 5-0 heading into the gold medal game, even beating Canada themselves. Kessel had a goal during the Olympic run, scoring in an opening round rout of Norway. In fact, the former Golden Knight kicked off the scoring in that game, leading the United States to a 6-1 victory.
Still, this was the Olympics for Marc-Andre Fleury and Team Canada to celebrate. It was a moment etched in time for the Canadians, with everything falling in place in Vancouver. While the Original Misfit didn't get a taste of the action, the only taste that matters is gold.