Marc-Andre Fleury looking forward to last game in front of Penguins fans who inspired him

Marc-Andre Fleury was in a familiar place Monday as he practiced in Cranberry.

He isn’t the proverbial person who “built” the facility. The name — UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex — should make it clear who is responsible for that.

But Fleury did have a hand in how the facility looks.

The three most recent Stanley Cup championship banners that are affixed to the wall overlooking the main rink of the venue — matching an identical trio that hang from the rafters of PPG Paints Arena in Uptown — are ornaments the Pittsburgh Penguins’ former franchise goaltender can claim some measure of credit for.

When Fleury arrived in Pittsburgh as the first-overall selection of the 2003 NHL Draft, the Penguins were in a much different place. In fact, there were doubts Pittsburgh would remain their place as rumors of relocation to locales such as Kansas City or Portland swirled around the franchise.

And, while he had no direct involvement in the financial fortunes of the once-bankrupt — twice, actually — club improving during the mid-2000s, he did help the Penguins return to being a competitive entity, as represented by those three banners.

When he departed in 2017 via an expansion draft, he left the Penguins in a much better place than he found them.

“I feel lucky I was part of it,” said Fleury, now a member of the Minnesota Wild. “Feel fortunate I got to live it. To learn the hard way with all those losses and the hard times. … Obviously, (former teammates Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jordan Staal and Max Talbot), so many guys that came in and were part of turning the team around a bit. We had good veterans to help us out. So it meant a lot, going to the (Stanley Cup Finals) and winning that one in (2009). Because we started from just being young guys and losing a lot to becoming a good team and finding a way to win.”

Fleury will try to find a way to win Tuesday as he and his current employer will face the Penguins in what is almost guaranteed to be Fleury’s final appearance in Pittsburgh as a competitive player.

He has indicated he will retire after this season, his 21st in the NHL.

“It’s always weird coming back and being on the other side,” said Fleury, who has also played with the Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks. “Can’t say I’ve had my best games here, playing against them, but I’m looking forward to it. I’m lucky we’ve got a couple days in town, so it’s good to walk around a bit, see some old faces. Not that they’re old, but it’s people I haven’t seen in a while, right? So it’s always special coming back, and looking forward to (Tuesday’s) game.”

His former teammates are eager for that reunion, as well.

“We usually find time, whether it’s during the season or in the summer,” Crosby said. “So it’s always great to spend time with him, no matter if it’s around a game or in the offseason. So it’ll be good to see him.”

Those paying to attend the contest figure to enjoy the sight of an effervescent personality who has been embraced for the past 21 years in Pittsburgh, even in absentia since 2017.

“There’s so many years, so many good moments and tough ones, obviously,” Fleury said. “But I think the welcome I got here for my first game, my first training camp was unbelievable. And sometimes I’ve had tough times, and I feel like the crowd was there for me trying to cheer me on, to keep going, keep pushing, getting better. Yeah, I don’t know, it’s tough to remember all of them. But, obviously, a lot of good times, for sure.”

Before Crosby became the face of the franchise as the top overall selection of the 2005 NHL Draft, Fleury carried that designation and offered something of a template for how to meet those hopes.

“He’s led by example, on and off the ice, (with) the way he treated fans, the way he embraced the city, embraced certain situations that were difficult ones to be a part of,” Crosby said. “That’s just part of hockey. He handled them with class. In those different ways, he’s impacted things. Above and beyond all that, his game. He stole games, he stole series in some cases. He’s a guy that’s been a big part of it.”

Letang, like Fleury, is a native of Quebec and lived in the goaltender’s house when he became a full-time NHLer in 2007.

“Obviously, he was the backbone of our team,” Letang said. “When you have a goalie of that level, it gives your team a chance to win every single night. You have confidence in your ability to play the game. For me, (that’s) being able to play my game offensively and not have worry behind me. The type of person that he is, how welcoming he is, he takes care of everyone in the room. That’s what you need when you want to start a franchise.”

At the moment, the Penguins’ would-be franchise goaltender of the present, Tristan Jarry, is struggling to recapture the form that has made him a two-time All-Star and is on a conditioning stint with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

More than a decade ago, Fleury went through similar struggles and was supplanted as the team’s top goaltender during the 2013 playoffs.

He is fully aware of what Jarry is experiencing. And, with the benefit of 21 years in the NHL, he offered simple-but-profound guidance on how to rebound and persevere.

“Go on the ice and work on those little details,” Fleury said. “Work on everything. Get a good sweat. Feel better in practice. You do it like it’s a game, play hard. And I think your confidence grows a bit from it. … (Jarry) is a great goalie. Sometimes, it’s just in your head a bit. You’re doubting or little things don’t go your way and stuff. You want to do too much. I was guilty of that sometimes. Got to find a way to balance, to play, have fun, relax. For me, that’s when can I play the best.”

Fleury, 39, wants to be at his best in front of those in Pittsburgh who embraced him as an 18-year-old and never really let go.

“I don’t want anything different than any other game,” Fleury said. “Don’t expect much else. I feel like sometimes, growing older, I get a little softer than I’m used to with emotions … Maybe a deep breath, look around, take a good look around. Good memories. I was very fortunate to play here for so long. A lot of good souvenirs from this place. It would be nice to do it one more time.”