Marc-Andre Fleury seemingly always has a smile on his face when it comes to dealing with fans and the media, but underneath the happy exterior that Fleury presents to the world also lurks a fierce competitor.
That will of course come as little surprise to anyone given that Fleury not only made it to the National Hockey League but has flourished there with a lengthy career spanning several teams and several seasons, but it isn’t a side of Fleury that we get to see or even hear about very often.
On Saturday night that fierce competitor living within Fleury came to the surface after the veteran goaltender and his team, the Minnesota Wild, suffered a tough loss at the hands of the Buffalo Sabers who put up 6 goals throughout the game. It appears as though those goals may have gotten under the skin of Fleury, who reportedly went ballistic following the game.
According to Minnesota Wild insider Mike Russo, Fleury was smashing things following the loss while also cursing and apologizing to his teammates. Russo reports that Fleury was saying that 5 goals should be enough to win a game every time, with the Wild coming up just 1 goal short in their effort against the Sabres.
While the loss may have been hard on Fleury, it sounds like there may also be another factor contributing to the emotional outburst from the beloved goaltender. According to Russo, Fleury is also dealing with a deeply personal matter, and will be taking a leave of absence from the team.
Of course the concern now is for the well being of Fleury and his loved ones, although I don’t want to speculate on what may be the cause of his sudden departure from the team. I will simply say that I hope everything works out for Fleury and his family, and I hope to see him back on the ice, doing what he loves, as soon as possible.
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