Marc-Andre Fleury

No.4

                       Le Fleur and his 400 blooming flowers in his ever expanding garden. Sure, he is the

                  13th goalie in NHL history to attain 400 victories, second fastest in 728 games(Henrik

                  Lundqvist in 727 contests), three Stanley Cups, a lifetime 2,56 GAA, .913 SV%, and is

                  currently at 2,15\.930 in the current season. ""The Flower'' rolls on like the Shanghai

                  Metro.

                       If you want to know what makes the 33 year old goaltender tick, just take a gander 

                  at the  backplate of his fleur-de-lis festooned mask worn on gameday. You will find the                        following letters initialed there: EFGT. It isn't a clever hideout for a bank PIN, but it is 

                  his way of honnoring his grandparents. Fleury is well grounded from his upbringing in 

                  the metallurgical town(42,000) of Sorel(f1642), Quebec. A scant 75 km from Montreal. 

                  How foundational is his hometown? Well, it has the honor of presenting the first public                        Christmas tree(1761) in North America.....basic, down-to-eath, solid-all the characteristics

                  that helped forge Fleury's calm and composed approach to the art and science of  effective                    goaltending.

                        He has a playful side as well, and is well-known as an inveterate practical joker, a

                  quick to smile countenance and the nervousness that is commanded by the appropriate

                  situation-like February 8, 2018 on the occasion of his return to Pittsburgh to be honored

                  by the Penguins. He admitted to having ''goosebumps'' during the warmup period. ''It's a

                  night I won't forget. Except maybe the the score.''(He gave up 5 goals on 38 shots).

                        His life is full and bountiful in his initial season with the Golden Knights. He married

                  his longtime sweetheart, Veronique, with whom he had dated since they were 15 years

                  old, and enjoys the company of his two daughters 4 year old Estelle and 2 year old 

                  Scarlett. 

                        The next time the Golden Knights play the New York Islanders you may see MAF

                  chatting with a young forward who plays for the Isles-Anthony Beauvillier. Yeah, full

                  circle, baby, the veteran connecting up with his younger hometown counterpart. He                              probably sees a bit of himself in the new kid from Sorel.

                                 

                  

The New Kid on the Block

No.3

                   ''The Meadows'' is the fastest growing city since the turn of the 20th century. A dynamic

       whirlwind of all sorts of activity, Vegas lingered without a big time sports franchise until 2017.

       The wait was worth it in the form of the Vegas Golden Knights.

                   The patience 'paid off in spades' which no casino has ever witnessed at their gaming                 tables or beting parlors. With 41 wins at present, the team became the most crowned expansion

       team in the history of major league sports, and currently they sit a top the Western Conference

       at present. They passed the Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers('93-'94) as the NHL's most

       formidable first year entry. The most surprising aspect of all is the fact the feat was achieved

       with 32 games remaining on the regular season schedule. The team is keeping pace with the

       best team in the league, the powerful 'Bolts' by the way of Tampa Bay out of Florida. The 'old-

       liners,' especially on the media side, still aren't certain what to do with the gentlemen of from Las

       Vegas. Many are in the stubborn denial phase on their way to the 'everybody knows that'  de-

       nouement.  Many still predict the team's complete collapse-it won't happen.

                   The most impressive component in the entire Vegas scene is the freshness the new team

       has brought to the city itself. A delight and relish in the charming self-effacing reference to being

       a member of the original 31 as an example. A good naturedness that stems from a sort of naivete

       of something so vividly open  at the start of a new enterprise. It will mature and eventually turn

       into a type of 'life and death' perception that afflicts many mainline teams in the league.

                   But not today, nor this year nor anytime soon. The good times are already rolling, so sit

       on the deck or varanda, pop open a cold one, take a gander at the night's charms, turn on KRLV

       1340, close your eyes, and listen to Dan Duva while  the images unfold over the white ice 

       below. The game moves along the air waves as you hear the stick and puck in all their glorious 

       forms. Listen to the occasional sound of the latter clang off the crossbar. Maybe, it will lead

       to ''Wild Bill'' illuminating the goal light and igniting that glorious horn.