As usual, Fleury on the spot

By Joe Starkey, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Thursday, October 7, 2010

Aside from Ben Roethlisberger, Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is easily the most polarizing athlete in town.

The mere mention of his name will generate a strong opinion, often a radical one.

"It's the position," says Fleury's teammate and close friend Max Talbot. "Goalies get the most pressure. They are the first guys people want to talk about after a game, like a quarterback. When you choose to play that position, you take everything that comes with it."

In the Penguins' luxurious new dressing room, nobody doubts "Flower," even if he is coming off a poor season.

"There have never been doubts in here," Talbot says. "He's our man. I know I'd take him over any goalie in the league."

Scrutiny of Fleury's play was typically intense last spring, and, sadly, included a smattering of mock cheers from the home crowd in Game 2 of an opening-round playoff series against Ottawa.

Fleury's playoff ended unceremoniously, when he was knocked from the box in the second period of Game 7 against Montreal. He went all the way to France and Italy to clear his mind, but, wouldn't you know it, ran into some Penguins fans while boating in Venice.

They didn't boo him.

"That was pretty funny," Fleury said. "They were nice."

As for Game 7, Fleury said he replayed it in his head several times but "never watched it again." I caught up with him earlier this week, after his solid training camp and in advance of tonight's season-opener against the Flyers.

I wondered, given Fleury's sometimes tumultuous first six years in the NHL, if it's still as much fun to strap on the pads.

"Oh yes," he said. "I love it. All I ever wanted to do was play goalie. I guess I've been around for a while now, but I still love to play."

To some, Fleury is an elite goalie, already immortalized for his Game 7 stop on Alex Ovechkin and Cup-winning save on Nicklas Lidstrom two years ago. Others label him a chronic underachiever who was little more than a glorified passenger on the Penguins' recent playoff teams.


I lean strongly to the pro-Fleury side, though it's undeniable that he was not good enough last season. His regular-season numbers (35th in save percentage, 24th in goals-against average) were bad. His playoff performance was uneven.

In their season-ending exit meeting with Fleury, who turns 26 in November, coach Dan Bylsma and general manager Ray Shero let it be known they expected more. They also consulted with goaltending coach Gilles Meloche in mapping out a new preparation routine for Fleury on game days and practice days.

"This year, we want to make sure he comes mentally and physically prepared for practice every day," Meloche said. "I will go on the ice for about 15 minutes (before practice) with one shooter and two goalies to make sure they get the proper warm-up."

On game days, Fleury will spend less time on the ice but will get in the gym to be certain his body is well stretched before he goes out for pre-game warm-ups.

"He's had groin problems and hamstring problems the past two years, so we want to make sure it won't be a problem," Meloche said.

The idea of hitting the gym for more pre-game prep work makes sense, given Fleury's propensity for allowing early goals last season. He was all for changing his routine.

"I need to warm up more before games," he said. "When I first came up, I could go out there without stretching and do the splits right away. Now, I need more time to get ready."

Fleury also has a new mask, featuring a flower playing goal on the front and decorations on the back that include a miniature Stanley Cup with the year '2009' painted onto it.

"Gives me a little something to remember," Fleury said.

Last year was the logical time for Fleury to take a big step forward and put up the kinds of numbers that get a fella mentioned in the Vezina Trophy conversation. In retrospect, it probably wasn't going to be possible with an offensive-minded defense core that had lost stay-at-home stalwarts Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi.

As a team, the Penguins were shoddy defensively, finishing 20th in the league in goals-against average. Fleury was partially a function of the failures in front of him. That was not lost on Shero, who has $9 million invested annually in a pair of outstanding, two-way defensemen — Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. They will be part of what should be the best all-around defensive group Fleury has played behind.

Fleury admits that while team goals remain paramount, he'd love to put up some top-10 regular-season numbers.

"That's always a goal," he said. "And last year I wasn't quite close."

Last year's gone. It's time for the Flower to blossom again.

The scrutiny begins tonight.