Marc-Andre Fleury and Alex Ovechkin are two of the biggest legends of the modern NHL. And when they faced each other for the final time, the Russian superstar came up big with a grand gesture toward the legendary goalie. Now, Fleury is sharing his true thoughts on what Ovechkin did—leaving everyone laughing with a hilarious quote.
Marc-Andre Fleury and Alex Ovechkin have had their fair share of battles over the years. Both have played in the league for nearly two decades, and for a long time, they clashed in heated rivalry games between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. This season has been a special one for both of them.
Ovechkin recently cemented his place in history by becoming the greatest goal-scorer the NHL has ever seen, scoring career goal No. 895 to surpass Wayne Gretzky. For Fleury, the 2024–25 season has served more as a farewell tour, as he’s set to retire at the end of the year. He’ll go down as one of the greatest goalies in league history, and in recent weeks, teams and opponents have shown him the respect and appreciation he so richly deserves.
Marc-Andre Fleury’s hilarious words on Ovi
When the Capitals played the Wild a couple of weeks ago, Ovechkin pulled his teammates back onto the ice after the game just to shake Fleury’s hand. The two legends then shared a moment at center ice.
On Sunday, Marc-Andre Fleury appeared on After Hours with Scott Oake and was asked about that special moment. His response was perfect.
“It was a little bit unexpected,” Fleury said.
“We don’t know each other much, but we’ve had so many battles together. Maybe he wanted to thank me for giving up so many goals over the years.”
Fleury is, in fact, the goalie who has allowed the most goals to Ovechkin—28 in total. Second on the list is Henrik Lundqvist, with 24.
But Marc-Andre Fleury didn’t just crack jokes—he also gave Ovechkin his flowers for the record-breaking achievement.
“Ovi is such a good shooter… I think it’s fun—fun to compete against him, fun to make saves on him—but it’s so deserving,” Fleury said.
“He’s a guy who’s just so enthusiastic about scoring goals. He always scores one, and you see him celebrate and dive around… He really deserves it.”
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