Marchessault excited for Fleury's Vegas return: 'He built sports in this city'

Vegas Golden Knights sniper Jonathan Marchessault is excited to welcome old friend Marc-Andre Fleury back to Sin City on Saturday.

The Chicago Blackhawks netminder is set to play his first game in Vegas since his four-year run with the team came to an abrupt end this past summer after a stunning trade to the midwest.

"I'm really looking forward to that moment after the video he's going to get," Marchessault said, according to NHL.com's Danny Webster. "He built this city. He built sports in this city. He's the one who made us successful. I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it."

Fleury was the Golden Knights' headline pick at their expansion draft in 2017. He previously played 13 seasons and won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins before he was selected to join the NHL's 31st franchise.

The 37-year-old led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, then won the first Vezina Trophy of his career in 2021. In 192 appearances with Vegas, Fleury posted a 117-60-14 record with a .917 save percentage.

Fleury received the warmest of receptions when he returned to Pittsburgh as a Golden Knight for the first time and feels his debut trip to Vegas as a Blackhawk will be the same.

"I'm sure it will be similar," Fleury said, per NHL.com's Tracey Myers. "It brings back so many memories from my time there. It'll be good to see some of those old teammates and friends and staff from the team and stuff. The fans, right? They've always been very kind to me. So it'll be special."