On Aug. 6, 2009, seven years earlier to the day, Fleury brought the Cup home for the first time after having played a starring role in the Penguins victory against the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final, most notably leaning over to cover the post and stop a Nicklas Lidstrom shot in the dying seconds to preserve the Game 7 victory.
This year, Fleury was forced to watch rookie Matt Murray carry the load for the Penguins in in the playoffs, having taken over for Fleury when he sustained a concussion on March 31 and never relinquishing the job, winning 15 games in the playoffs including the Cup-clinching victory June 12 in San Jose.
"It's a different feeling when you're sitting on the bench, you're not sweating, you're not battling with your teammates to win the Cup," Fleury said Saturday. "Having said that, I'm happy to have my name on it a second time.
"I did my best to keep everyone upbeat and in a better mood around the team. I wanted to play, but that was the situation. The team was winning. The most important thing for me was to be a good teammate."