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A22 sports
Friday 11 May 2018

‘Flower’ blossoms: Fleury back to being great playoff goalie

By STEPHEN WHYNO Now-Capitals defenseman Before he played a sub-
AP Hockey Writer Matt Niskanen was there stantial role in the Penguins’
Anyone who has played for some of the struggles second consecutive title
with Marc-Andre Fleury can but didn’t level them all on run, Fleury agreed to waive
tell he’s dialed in by watch- Fleury. By 2014, he noticed his no-movement clause to
ing his mannerisms. a different goalie. go to Vegas in the expan-
Last year, he rubbed the “There was a period of time sion draft. Golden Knights
shaft of his stick after mak- there where maybe (it was) general manager George
ing a save with it on Alex not entirely his fault, a few McPhee, whose 2009 Capi-
Ovechkin. This year, he things went wrong and it tals lost to Fleury in the sec-
continued a career-long snowballed on him and ond round, said Dave Prior
tradition of rubbing the he had a tough go there, I was insistent on adding
post as a sign of apprecia- think, mentally for a couple Fleury because the veter-
tion for keeping a puck out. springs,” Niskanen said. “But an goaltending coach felt
“That’s when you know he’s by the time of my last year there was more improve-
in the zone,” Pittsburgh de- there he was really good ment to be made in his
fenseman Olli Maatta said. In this April 26, 2018, file photo, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender again.” The scars of anoth- game. “He obviously stud-
Fleury is in one of the best Marc-Andre Fleury (29) blocks a shot by the San Jose Sharks er second-round exit led ies goaltenders all around
zones of his career in the during the first period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey second- to more blame for Fleury, the league and looks at the
playoffs with the expansion round playoff series in Las Vegas. who was scapegoated for way that they’re playing
Vegas Golden Knights, who Associated Press a team with Sidney Crosby the game,” McPhee said.
have followed up a magi- centage and four shutouts. percentage for Pacific Di- and Evgeni Malkin not do- “He was excited and he re-
cal inaugural season with a “I don’t think it was any- vision-winning Vegas. The ing more after the Cup in ally advocated for him in
trip to the Western Confer- thing physically that he fresh start might have reju- 2009. “Sometimes it’s the our meetings and thought
ence final. The goaltending changed,” former Pen- venated Fleury more than way your team plays in that he could make him
of Fleury is the biggest rea- guins teammate and cur- a decade into his career, front of you,” said Penguins even better than he’s
son they’ve gotten this far rent Capitals defenseman but his bounce-back in winger Carl Hagelin, who been. We like the calming
and is a continuation of his Brooks Orpik said. “It was becoming a great playoff beat Fleury with the Rang- effect he has on this team.
remarkable playoff reputa- all confidence-driven. He’s goalie again is six years in ers in playoff series in 2014 When he plays, he’s really
tion rehabilitation. always been a guy who’s the making. and 2015. “Sometimes, like good when you need him
After taking the Penguins really competitive and The low point came in 2012. any other player, you might the most. Needless to say
to the Stanley Cup Final in really loose at the same Fleury allowed 26 goals have a bad series or a bad you don’t get to the third
2008 and winning it all in time. I think it was just con- over six games to Philadel- playoffs and I think for a round in this league unless
2009, Fleury lost four of the fidence. I think he needed phia in a first-round exit. The goalie if you have that, you got a goaltender that’s
next five series he played a fresh start. Maybe he just next playoffs, backup To- people are going to be all playing well.”
and each postseason post- needed a clean slate, and mas Vokoun started more over you.” Following a for- Fleury will be playing in the
ed a save percentage un- you perform better when games, and it was fair to gettable first-round loss to third round for the fifth time
der .900. He has since got- you’re more appreciated.” wonder if Fleury had lost it. Hagelin and the Rangers in in his career, a testament
ten his groove back, help- It’s impossible not to appre- “You learn from losing,” 2015, Fleury had one of his to the 33-year-old’s willing-
ing the Penguins win the ciate the impact “Flower” Fleury said Wednesday. best regular seasons. But he ness to adjust as he has
Cup again a year ago, and has made in the desert as “You learn from tough times was nevertheless replaced gotten older, including eat-
now leads the NHL playoffs the face of a new franchise and pressure and stuff like as Pittsburgh’s playoff start- ing the right food, training
with a 1.53 goals-against as he went 29-13-4 with a that. It made me a better er by Matt Murray on the meticulously and allowing
average, .951 save per- 2.24 GAA and .927 save goalie from it.” way to the Cup in 2016. his body to recover. q

Ex-NFL player: Police fabricated evidence for gun charge

By DAVID PORTER against him were reported. The 29-year-old Greene is
Associated Press Two months later, a gun an Elizabeth native who
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — A charge against Greene was a Big East defensive
former NFL linebacker’s ca- was dropped after an au- player of the year while at
reer was cut short after au- dio recording surfaced of Rutgers.
thorities in New Jersey fabri- the accused shooter telling He appeared in a total of
cated evidence linking him detectives he lied about 25 games for the Chicago
to a gun used in a shooting, Greene’s involvement in Bears in the 2013 and 2014
the player alleged in a law- the shooting. seasons, starting six games
suit filed this week. The lawsuit filed Tuesday ac- at linebacker.
The Elizabeth police de- cuses the police and prose- The lawsuit charges numer-
partment and Union Coun- cutor’s office of “simultane- ous counts including civil
ty prosecutor’s office “will- ously manufacturing and rights violations, false arrest
fully ignored and were fabricating false evidence and imprisonment, mali-
deliberately indifferent to in order to charge Plain- cious prosecution, negli-
overwhelming evidence” tiff with a crime he did not gence and defamation. It
that Khaseem Greene commit.” seeks unspecified punitive
hadn’t provided the weap- A spokesman for the coun- and compensatory dam-
on used in a shooting out- ty prosecutor’s office de- ages, including for past
side a nightclub in Elizabeth clined comment Thursday. and future economic loss.
In this Sept. 3, 2015, file photo, then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers
linebacker Khaseem Greene (44) sits on the sidelines after an in December 2016. A message left at the Eliza- It also seeks the appoint-
interception during the first half of an NFL preseason football The Kansas City Chiefs re- beth police department ment of an independent
game against the Miami Dolphins, in Miami Gardens, Fla. leased Greene in May of wasn’t immediately re- monitor to oversee the Eliza-
Associated Press last year, the day charges turned. beth police department.q