Marc-Andre Fleury ends his Penguins career as a cherished mentor to Matt Murray

As a 22-year-old rookie, Matt Murray took Marc-Andre Fleury’s starting goalie job in Pittsburgh last year and ran to the Stanley Cup with it.

The two essentially split time in net this postseason, and any questions about their relationship were squashed as the Penguins skated the Cup on Sunday.

Murray, now 23 years old, repeatedly got emotional speaking about Fleury after the game. Here’s one interview where he clearly got shake-voice as he reflected on what Fleury means to him:

Reporter: Marc-Andre Fleury has meant a lot to you in your career. What did you say to him after this game?

Murray: He’s, uh ... [chokes up] ... it gets me emotional. When he handed me the Cup there, that’s a lot to me. He’s been such a mentor for me, last year and this series. That was huge.

Reporter: Why has he been such a tremendous influence on you?

Murray: Just the way he was able to ... you know, I’m a young guy coming in and taking his place. Who knows how a guy will react to something like that. He welcomed me with open arms, helped me any time I needed help. He was just huge for me. I owe him a great deal, for sure.

In another interview, Murray called the Cup hand-off one of “the most special moments of my life.”

Those emotions kept flowing in post-game media scrums.

It’s almost a certainty that was the final game as a Penguin for Fleury, who will either be taken in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights next week or traded very soon. After more than a decade in Pittsburgh, it’s hard to imagine a better way for Fleury to end his career as a Penguin: as a two-time Cup-winning goalie and valued mentor to one of the game’s brightest young netminders.