The Minnesota Wild came out victorious by a score of 3-2 on Tuesday night over the Anaheim Ducks, whom had nothing to play for themselves. The Wild didn't necessarily need the victory, as just acquiring the single OT point was enough to stay ahead of the St. Louis Blues and eliminate the Calgary Flames altogether.
This granted the perfect opportunity for Wild head coach John Hynes, who is in his first full season in charge of the Minnesotan hockey club, to give the State of Hockey a show and give legendary net-minder Marc-Andre Fleury the send-off into retirement that the "Flower" deserved.
This was supposed to be Fleury's game anyway; had the Wild taken care of business on April 11th in their road-trip to Calgary, they would've wrapped up a playoff spot right then and there, and one more win the next night against the Canucks could've made the entirety of the game against the Anaheim Ducks Fleury's true send-off night.
In reality, the Wild completely no-showed that exhibition, which put them in a spot to have to start Filip Gustavsson, the true first goalie option, for the remainder of the season. With how everything shook out between the Flames game and the game against the Ducks, Minnesota just needed a point to clinch a playoff berth and first wild-card spot, and they did just that when Joel Eriksson-Ek potted one against Lukas Dostal with 20 ticks left in the third period and with an empty net behind him.
The Wild forced OT, and suddenly Marc-Andre Fleury was warming up next to the boards, and everyone knew what was coming. Fleury was thrown into the net, and delivered in true Flower fashion. 18 seconds into the overtime, Joel Eriksson-Ek, the third period hero, would slash Cutter Gauthier as he cut to the net on a good opportunity that was ultimately met with a pad-save, and the Wild would go on the penalty kill. What followed was Vintage Fleury; flying out of the net, double-stacking the pads, flashing the glove in lightning-quick fashion, and a puck off the bar that was met with one last signature Marc-Andre goal-post rub. Eventually, the penalty was killed.
Back and forth the Wild and Ducks would go, and the game would eventually come to a close when Marcus Johansson slipped a pass from behind the net to Matt Boldy in the slot, who would cash in on Dostal.
All of the Wild bench wouldn't run to Boldy. Of course, they ran to Fleury
In a beautiful celebration that had the entire crowd on their feet and chanting Fleury's last name, tears in the eyes of the goal-tender, the Anaheim Ducks paying their respects to the legend post-game, and Coldplay's "Viva-La-Vida" playing over the speakers of the Xcel Energy Center, Marc Andre-Fleury rode off into the sunset, at least for regular season competition.
Fleury's career technically hasn't come to a close yet, as it is entirely possible the Wild will need to turn to him in the playoffs, but he certainly has at least played his final regular season game in the NHL. The Wild will face Fleury's former Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, the team with which he won the Vezina Trophy in 2020.