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The warm welcome that Fleury received in Vegas.
Golden Knights fans cheer on their former goalie as he returns to Las Vegas to play for the Hawks. (0:20)
12:24 AM
Hockey fans in southern Nevada still love the player.
The fans at T-Mobile Arena were so enamored with him that he led the Chicago Hawks onto the ice for their game against his former team.
Fans lined the end boards, banged the glass, held up signs and cheered for the man who was the face of the Golden Knights for their first four years in the league. The sold-out crowd then erupted into a frenzy when a one-minute tribute video was played.
The Golden Knights scored one goal in the 2-1 loss to the Blackhawks. He has beaten all the teams in the NHL.
The tribute video was shown before the game rather than during it, and that made it easier for him to get through the game.
It was good to get it out of the way quickly. A lot of memories come from seeing that, it's just a few images and videos. I had a great time in Vegas.
Saturday was the first time that Fleury had been back in the arena he dominated during his time with the Golden Knights. He stopped 28 straight shots after Vegas took a lead early in the game.
The league's third-highest scoring team had its lowest score in more than two months. It was the fourth time this season that Vegas has been held to one goal or fewer. It was the Golden Knights' lowest scoring game since November.
"I wish there was no goals, it would have been better,'' he said.
The face of the Vegas franchise and a fan favorite before he led the expansion club to the Stanley Cup Final, was Fleury. His smile, personality, and involvement throughout southern Nevada helped him become a part of the city's athletic fabric alongside the likes of Jerry Tarkanian, Greg Maddux and Andre Agassi.
The Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goaltender, Fleury went 26-10-0 with a 1.98 goals-against average,.928 save percentage and six shutouts in 36 starts last season. The Golden Knights were desperate for salary cap space and traded for a forward, who was later released, on July 27.
He said returning to face his former team was easier because he has done it before.
"I think it helps that I've been through it, and I think it's a little bit of the same anticipation,'' said the goalie, who in December became the third goaltender in NHL history to win 500 games. It's difficult. I was emotional when I returned to Pittsburgh, but I had good memories of my teammates and things. I'll try to play hockey.
It's hard because I feel like you don't want to get emotional, but at the same time, it is. It was a great time in my life and I made some great friends.
The emotional week in Las Vegas ended with the visit of Theo Fleury, as it started Sunday with former Golden Knights Paul Stastny and Nate Schmidt visiting with the Jets. Ryan Reaves was back with the Rangers on Thursday night, along with the team's first coach, Gerard Gallant.
"What those guys did in year one here will never be duplicated, and they deserve all the love and attention they're gonna get for that," Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said.
DeBoer said he was happy to spend time on the same bench with the three-time Stanley Cup winner.
DeBoer said that it's always an honor to coach a Hall of Famer. "As a coach, those are the players you'll tell your grandkids about." Flower is on that list.
The Associated Press contributed to the story.
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