During Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, I was multitasking, trying to get some work done while watching the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights battle it out for professional hockey supremacy. The Caps got the jump on the Knights, building a 3-0 first-period lead, which prompted a few hockey “experts” on Twitter to call on Vegas coach Gerard Gallant to replace starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. I had to laugh.
Fleury, the Pittsburgh Penguins castoff, had almost single-handedly willed the expansion Knights through the first three rounds of the playoffs. While some pundits lamented that an expansion team making the finals somehow put the league in a bad light, I saw things differently. First, it was a testament to hockey being a team sport that actually put the emphasis on “team” rather than individual stars. Second, Fleury’s performance re-emphasized the importance of having a hot goaltender in the playoffs.
By Game 4 of the finals, it was obvious that Washington was the better team, or at the very least the deeper team, according to NBC’s Pierre McGuire. I agree. None of the three Capitals goals in the first period of that pivotal fourth game were Fleury’s fault (and I’m not one to make excuses for goaltenders). The only reason for pulling Fleury at that point was the idea of giving the team a “wake-up call.”
The problem with this idea is that ignores one inescapable fact: Fleury is the heart and soul of this Vegas team. That’s one of the chief reasons Vegas GM George McPhee went after him in the expansion draft. “Flower” always has been a quality goaltender. More importantly, he’s always been an outstanding teammate. The combination of the two is what makes the Quebec native such a valuable asset.