Hawks to celebrate Fleury's milestone before Wednesday's game
Blackhawks fans who attend Wednesday's game against Washington should do their best to be on time because it's not every day a goaltender's 500th victory is recognized.
To be sure, the pregame ceremony to honor Marc-Andre Fleury's accomplishment figures to be one to remember.
Fleury joined Martin Brodeur (691 wins) and Patrick Roy (551) as the only netminders to reach 500 wins when he shut out the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 last Sunday.
Fleury's teammates showered him with water during a raucous celebration when he entered the dressing room. Then, of course, came the texts and phone calls.
"So many people reached out and congratulated me," Fleury said. "It's crazy - right? - to get all that attention. I'm not one that loves it.
"It's good, though. I got to thank a lot of people for helping me get there. Many years. Many ups and down. Many people on-ice or off-ice have helped me."
Fleury got off to a rough start with the Hawks, but he has gone 7-3-0 with a .939 save percentage and 1.87 goals-against average since November 9.
The three-time Stanley Cup winner from Sorel, Quebec, was asked to rank where this accomplishment ranks in his career.
After pausing for several seconds, Fleury said: "Winning the Cups is always No. 1, right? Nothing beats that. My first game - it was always my dream to play in the NHL. When I was able to do it that was pretty huge.
"But last game was pretty important to me, and for it to happen in Montreal, too. Having the Quebecers stay in the rink and cheer for me - even though I was playing on the other team - meant a lot. Got some goose bumps from it. It's definitely up there."
Khaira 'looks good':
Jujhar Khaira, who was knocked out by the Rangers' Jacob Trouba on December 8, remains in concussion protocol but has been around the team this week.
"He looks good," said interim coach Derek King. "It's just nice to have him around. The guys were excited to see him, that he's up and moving around pretty good.
"It's going to take some time, but we'll follow the protocol and makes sure he's ready to go when the time is right."
Slap shots:
Rockford IceHogs forward Lukas Reichel and goalie Arvid Soderblom were removed from concussion protocol Tuesday. Also, forward Dylan McLaughlin was removed from COVID protocol. Reichel, drafted 17th overall by the Hawks in 2020, has 7 goals and 5 assists in 15 games. ... Patrick Kane was the first player to leave practice Tuesday - a rarity - but interim coach Derek King said the star forward is fine.
He said it:
"Ate a lot of dirt as a kid."
- Defenseman Calvin de Haan on why he rarely gets sick