In a touching gesture, the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed legendary goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury with a professional tryout contract (PTO) on Friday. Fleury will play in Pittsburgh Penguins’ pre-season game on September 27 in the National Hockey League (NHL). Having made his NHL debut in 2003, Fleury spent 13 of his 22 NHL seasons at Pittsburgh Penguins. He ended his career at Minnesota Wild.

Fleury played a huge role in Pittsburgh Penguins’ achievements throughout his time with the team. With a return via PTO, life comes a full circle for Fleury, who will have the chance of wearing the iconic black and gold once again in front of their home crowd.

The return of Fleury was Pittsburgh Penguins’ aim to pay a tribute to his legacy and his close relationship with the team and the fans. The 40-year-old will join the Penguins for practice at 12:00 PM on September 26 before suiting up to play in parts of Pittsburgh’s exhibition game against Columbus on September 27 at 7:00 PM at PPG Paints Arena.

What is a professional tryout contract in NHL?

A professional tryout contract in the NHL is a short-term agreement which allows a player, mostly a free agent or a veteran, to compete in pre-season games and in the training camp. With a PTO, a team can evaluate a player’s fitness and performance before committing a long-term NHL contract. Having said that, a PTO doesn’t guarantee a player a spot in a team’s season-long roster.

After the PTO period, both the team and the player have the option to move either way or sign a season-long contract. It must also be noted that, a player will not receive any salary on a PTO and it doesn’t count any official caps. This helps the teams to test a player without any financial risk involved.

Marc-Andre Fleury’s NHL career – all statistics

During his NHL career, Fleury played for four teams – Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild. He played a total of 1051 regular-season games with a 575-339-97 record and 76 shutouts and recorded 15 20-win seasons, nine 30-win seasons and two 40-win seasons. In fact his all three Stanley Cup wins (2009, 2016, 2017), all with Pittsburgh Penguins.

At Pittsburgh Penguins, Fleury spent 13 seasons from 2003-17, playing 691 games, winning 375 and a shutout of 44. At the club, Fleury won three Players’ Player Awards (2015, 2016, 2017), two Baz Bastien Memorial Awards – Good Guy Awards (2010, 2012), one Defensive Player of the Year Award (2012), two Edward J. Debartolo Community Service Awards (2006, 2014), four A.T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Awards (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015), one Masterton Nominee – Comeback Player (2017) and two team MVP Awards (2011, 2015).