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Fleury opens playground as possible final act with Penguins

@pensfoundation/Twitter

If Marc-Andre Fleury's days with the Penguins are indeed coming to a close, he won't soon be forgotten in Pittsburgh.

Sure, the goaltender will be remembered as a first overall draft pick, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and, by all accounts, a model teammate. But with the possibility of being selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft a very real one, Fleury is leaving a more tangible legacy behind.

Case in point: Fleury financed construction of a new, state-of-the-art playground at a Boys & Girls club in the Pittsburgh area, and attended the grand opening Monday morning.

"It's been something we've been thinking about for a little while, and we were just thinking about something to give back," Fleury said on behalf of him and his wife, Veronique, via the Penguins website.

"The people of Pittsburgh have been so good to me, so to build something fun, something for the kids, I'm glad it all came out and the kids seem to like it."

It will be a heavily used structure, and a great way to keep Fleury tied to the city.

"From the onset of this project, it was obvious that Marc-Andre and Veronique shared our passion to make the growing-up years count for the children of the community and that this gift is being presented for all the right reasons," stated Boys & Girls Club CEO and president Mike Hepler. "Once the ribbon is cut, we are going to have a lot of smiling faces - compliments of the Fleury family."

Fleury has been with the Penguins since being drafted back in 2003, but was left exposed in the expansion draft. Vegas will make its official roster announcement at the NHL Awards on Wednesday.

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