PITTSBURGH _ Marc-Andre Fleury fought back tears Thursday when he met with the Pittsburgh media for what will likely be the final time.
Locker cleanout day at PPG Paints Arena proved to be an emotional experience, and, no surprise, it centered around franchise's longest-tenured player.
Before sitting at his stall to answer questions, Fleury had several emotional embraces with teammates _ and probably countless others behind closed doors.
"It's been such a long time," Fleury said. "I've met a lot of good people. It feels like home to me."
Only it won't be soon, perhaps as early as next week should Vegas take Fleury in the upcoming NHL expansion draft.
Fleury's days as a Penguin are numbered, and there was no way getting around the awkwardness and pure emotion flowing within the Penguins dressing room.
"I tried not to (reflect) too much," Fleury responded when asked whether he reflected any during Wednesday's parade, getting choked up for the first of several times. "I just tried to enjoy the moment and tried to remember the good times."
In Vegas, Fleury would likely be counted upon as a face of the franchise, the veteran who has been there before.
Keeping Fleury and Matt Murray is not only impractical because of having to share starting goaltender duties, but it also doesn't make a lot of fiscal sense.
"I love to play," Fleury said. "I love the game. I love to be in there, to compete. I like everything about it. Matt's the guy here. He will be for many years. There's a salary cap, so it would be a challenge. Couldn't work anyway."
Now, Fleury will soon find out his next NHL city, and he'll soon have to stop shots from Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang _ his best friends.
"It will be a fresh start for me and everybody else on the team," Fleury said. "Everybody has to start from scratch. We'll see what happens in the next week or so."
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