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At the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins decided to make Marc-Andre Fleury the second goalie ever to be drafted first overall. The first, of course, being Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders. Both of those goaltenders had something else in common at the beginning of the 2007-2008 season. They had not lived up to the hype of a first overall pick, unlike other first round picks like Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash (despite injuries).
That changed once last season came to an end. Fleury was around to see the last game, and although it probably didn’t end the way he wanted it to, he gained valuable experience. It all started when he came back from a somewhat severe ankle injury sustained in early December. He came back with a renewed attitude, and noticeably whiter pads. Ty Conklin shined in his absence, but Fleury wasn’t about to let the starting role get away from him.
In the games prior to the injury, Fleury was 9-8-1. Hardly impressive, right? When he came back, he posted a 10-2-1 record, then followed that with a 14-6 playoff run. Was it his rehab from the ankle injury that caused such a dramatic change? Maybe. Was it because he stopped wearing those God-awful bright yellow pads? Believe it or not, it probably had something to do with it. While rehabbing from his ankle injury, Fleury received a letter from an Ottawa-area optometrist telling him that his yellow pads were more than just an eyesore, they were costing him goals. In the letter she told him that yellow is one of the easiest colours for the human eye to pick up. Players whizzing down the wing will catch a small glimpse of yellow in the corner of their eye, and immediately know where the net is. A switch to white would allow him to blend into the ice, possibly making him look bigger as well. Fleury took her advice, made the switch, and went on to sweep the optometrist’s beloved Senators in the first round of the playoffs.
This year Fleury hopes to build on the success of last year. Having guys like Malkin and Crosby shooting in the other direction sure helps. Ty Conklin moved on and signed with Detroit, so that allows Dany Sabourin to sneak into the backup role. This upcoming season for Marc-Andre Fleury is an exciting one. He has complete confidence from his coaches and teammates for the first time in a while, and now has confidence in himself. A strong playoff experience can work wonders on players, especially young goaltenders like Fleury.
Tags: fleury, goaltending, marc-andre, penguins, pittsburgh, sabourin