Marc-Andre Fleury named to NHL all-decade team

ST. LOUIS — More victories than any other goaltender during the decade. Two Stanley Cups. One Olympic goal medal.

Marc-Andre Fleury’s resume was unmatched over the past 10 years, and the Golden Knights goaltender was named to the NHL’s All-Decade first team Friday, the league announced.

The two six-player teams were selected by a panel of general managers, hockey operations staff, NHL.com writers and on-air talent from NBC, Sportsnet and TVAS and was released before the start of the All-Star Skills event at Enterprise Center.

Fleury was joined on the first team by forwards Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane, along with defensemen Duncan Keith and Drew Doughty.

The second team featured Evgeni Malkin, Patrice Bergeron and Steven Stamkos at forward, Erik Karlsson and Zdeno Chara on defense, and Henrik Lundqvist in net.

Fleury had 322 victories to lead all goalies during the decade. He was third in starts (543) and fifth in shutouts (43) to go with a .917 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average.

Fleury won two Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh and also guided the Knights to the Stanley Cup Final during their inaugural season.

This season, he was named to the All-Star Game for the fifth time, though he withdrew from the event, and won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Fleury is tied with Lundqvist for fifth on the all-time wins list with 458.

Skills competition

Knights forward Max Pacioretty was one of the shooters in the goalie’s save streak competition but did not participate in any individual events.

That didn’t stop him from enjoying the event with his two oldest sons, who joined him on the ice during the competition.

“It was cool to see it for myself,” Pacioretty said of his first all-star appearance. “But for my kids to live through these experiences with me makes it more special.”

Among the highlights was San Jose’s Tomas Hertl putting on a Justin Bieber mask before his breakaway attempt against St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington in the save streak event.

Also, Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders ended Connor McDavid’s three-year reign in the fastest skater competition.

In the women’s elite 3-on-3 game, goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens made 18 saves, including one in the final seconds, to help Canada defeat the U.S., 2-1.

Florida awarded All-Star Game

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the Florida Panthers will host the 2021 All-Star Game at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The game is expected to feature a “distinct international flavor,” though he would not elaborate on the format.

Bettman also said puck and player tracking will be in all 16 arenas during the postseason and every NHL rink for the start of the 2020-21 season.

Finally, Bettman noted that the league’s whistleblower hotline is expected to be fully operational within the next few months. The league announced the hotline in December as part of a new Code of Conduct in response to allegations of abuse against at least two NHL coaches.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.