Will that goal haunt MAF????

[Stuy]

Like Salo before him how will that goal effect MAF for the years to come.

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[Bud The Spud*]

For some reason he just didn't look the same as he did last year. Maybe there was just too much hype surrounding him. I feel sorry for him. This will probably affect him for awhile, but a good goaltender has the ability to get over it and he will.

 

[JDB3939]

Fleury hasn't looked great since October. I think he is too worn out personally.

 

[AllIsFehrNLoveAndWar]

I'm kinda hoping pittsburgh lets him go back to Juniors.

 

[chicpea*]

Will Fleury become the next Steve Smith?

 

[Malefic74]

I'm kinda hoping pittsburgh lets him go back to Juniors.

Agreed. Unfortunately the Pens will do anything for a crowd these days in the futile hope of a new arena (which will never happen) and since Fleury is pretty much the only exciting player on that team they will probably wind up bringing him back.

His fundamentals are showing a few cracks and he needs the practice time to get them back. It's a lot easier to get that practice time in Junior compared to the NHL.

 

[Stephen]

^ Your assessment of his fundamentals is spot on.

Lately, Fleury has been resorting to random reflex moves, scrambling whenever there's something going on. His composure looks horrible.

 

[dunwoody_joe]

I didn't see MAF in this tourney but I did see him getting worn out with the Pens. I have to agree that perhaps his development may be suffering.

I have no doubt that he is capable of playing immediately for the Pens, but I cannot believe that playing behind their defense is a good thing. I have seen the kid play valiantly but just get swamped.

How can this be a good thing for an 18 year old?

The better question is what the hell are the Pens trying to do? The kid can be special--show some patience and develop him properly and they will have a premium player for 15 years. Rush him now and risk having a good player (who never reaches his potential) for 18 years.

So far, I worry that the Pens are going to screw up this kids future.

 

[Canadian]

Obviously, Fleury feels horrible about giving up that game winning goal. However, I think everything was going wrong for Marc-Andre Fleury before he even reached the National Junior Team Selection Camp. First off, he left the Pittsburgh Penguins with a losing records, and like the previous posters have said, he hasn't been the same since October. Fleury's confidence is just low, he was giving up too many goals for his best efforts. I mean when you go from a NHL hockey game, where you get 35-40 shots a night to games where you get from 5-30 shots that's a major drop off. In this scenario, it played a role, Fleury is sort of like a Curtis Joseph, he thrives on many shots, while he will lack some focus when he gets few shots. Also, at this tournament players would have a increased allowance of time to react, which may explain why he was out of positions at times. Furthermore, throughout the Selection Camp, Fleury didn't get that much action. Personally, I think they needed to let him play more, so he could of built up his confidence. The media and coaches kept on comparing him to his performance from last year, Fleury ain't the same goalie from last year, he had the Halifax fans cheering for him and he had to earn a spot on Team Canada.

 

[billabong55]

I personally was hoping Pittsburgh would have sent Fleury down to Cape Breton at the beginning of the season. They don't have a strong defense right now, and it just seems like they're throwing him to the wolves every game.

I think sending him down to CB now would be great for him. He'd be on a winning team and have a chance to go far in the playoffs and maybe even the Memorial Cup. He'd also be able to play more often and build his confidence up to where it should be. It scares me to think of what will happen if he stays in Pittsburgh. They just don't have a great defense right now, and having him shell shocked or sitting on the bench for the rest of the season aren't the greatest of options.

 

[HfxMoose]

Yeah Something's not right with him you can tell. He just hasn't been playing with all the confidence he usually does. I think back to junior would be the best thing for him. Have a good run with the eagles who have an excellent shot at the memorial cup. That might put him back on cloud 9.

 

[FlyersGuy69]

Like Salo before him how will that goal effect MAF for the years to come.

IMO, it will be a disappointment for a long time but Fluery is a winner and he will get past this to do better things.

 

[Jacob]

Salo's goal and Fleury's are apples to oranges. Fleury was trying to prevent a clear breakaway. Salo, well, I don't think he was thinking at all, but shots from the red line shouldn't become scoring chances.

Will it haunt him? Well, I don't know about that, but I don't think he'll forget it.

 

[John Agar]

I'm afraid this will effect him...

for a while anyway.

He had everything to lose and not much to gain really by being at the World Juniors.

I would admit I was excited by him being released by Pittsburgh (noble and very Lemieux influenced - thankyou Mario), but after a couple of games I noticed him struggling. The excellence of the young team in front of him made many not take notice.

Goalies are under a lot of pressure most of the time; being M.A. Fleury and the Messiah is too much. Releasing a d-man or a forward makes you a role player. A goalie bears the burden of last chance and defense.

This will set him back...for a while and will make him better in the long run. I have great empathy for Mr. Fleury - soul searching a-plenty for a while I am afraid.

 

[GKJ]

Obviously, Fleury feels horrible about giving up that game winning goal. However, I think everything was going wrong for Marc-Andre Fleury before he even reached the National Junior Team Selection Camp. First off, he left the Pittsburgh Penguins with a losing records, and like the previous posters have said, he hasn't been the same since October. Fleury's confidence is just low, he was giving up too many goals for his best efforts. I mean when you go from a NHL hockey game, where you get 35-40 shots a night to games where you get from 5-30 shots that's a major drop off. In this scenario, it played a role, Fleury is sort of like a Curtis Joseph, he thrives on many shots, while he will lack some focus when he gets few shots. Also, at this tournament players would have a increased allowance of time to react, which may explain why he was out of positions at times. Furthermore, throughout the Selection Camp, Fleury didn't get that much action. Personally, I think they needed to let him play more, so he could of built up his confidence. The media and coaches kept on comparing him to his performance from last year, Fleury ain't the same goalie from last year, he had the Halifax fans cheering for him and he had to earn a spot on Team Canada.

All of these reasons is why Fleury was overrated to begin with. He was good with Pittsburgh, because he was with Pittsburgh. Many of us knew going right to the NHL was a bad idea. He was going to get smoked and lose confidence, and if he keeps getting pushed too hard he will become another Trevor Kidd. He's going to keep taking too many licks, and personally I think his WJC performance was rather unimpressive compared to all the hype (he was at best the 4th best goalie in the tourney)

edit: sorry for bringing up a topic now 8 days old It's been a while