By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Everybody knows about the likable, sometimes-jokester Marc-Andre Fleury. Like the time the acrobatic goaltender took an opponent’s hockey stick lying on the ice after a scrap and slipped it through a photography hole in the rink plexiglass to a fan at the San Jose Sharks’ arena earlier this season.
There are lots of funny Fleury stories about him goofing on opponents. But there was a different Fleury on Oct. 3, 2017 at a Las Vegas blood donation center two days after America’s most deadly mass shooting bloodied the Strip.
At the blood donation center on Charleston Boulevard, an Oct. 1 survivor told her story of enduring that horrific night while standing in front of several VGK players including a stone-faced Fleury who offered a supportive ear for her teary words.
It showed Fleury was more than just a gifted goaltender who could pull a funny gag and fatten up Las Vegans with donuts for shutting out opponents thanks to a Krispy Kreme sponsorship. He showed compassion and made a connection — the qualities that show that the man who turns 35 in a week is the Golden Knights’ most marketable player.
The Knights’ roster if filled with quality and popular men like Wiliam Karlsson, Nate Schmidt, Ryan Reaves, Deryk Engelland and others who have connected with a market in deep ways that you don’t see too often.
But it’s Fleury, given a second chance after winning three NHL titles in Pittsburgh, who saw his popularity soar again this week.
On Tuesday night when the VGK hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs, the acrobatic goalie soared across his goal crease and used his glove to snare a puck that appeared to be destined for the back of the net. The save that went viral on social media kept the Knights ahead by a goal in the third period as the VGK ultimately won the game, 4-2.
^ ^ ^
In June 2017, Fleury’s name was called at the VGK expansion draft. He added instant star power and a recognizable name for the casual hockey fan. The media gathered that day to ask Fleury about his new start in Las Vegas:
Fleury was injured in year one during a VGK home loss to the Detroit Red Wings. But he later returned that season to lead the team to the division championship and then the Stanley Cup Final.
He was also piling up the wins and shutouts. He has 450 wins and 58 shutouts. He’s a future Hall-of-Famer.
But despite the personal rebound in his career in Las Vegas, the Knights continued their marketing strategy of focusing on the #VegasBown theme, their fans and a variety of players like Karlsson and Max Pacioretty who have their images on T-Mobile Arena’s exterior near the team store.
It was a solid approach to market a team based on its Las Vegas roots, the fans and their love for their new team, and the many players who had popular and marketable appeal. Indeed, players such as Nate Schmidt, Engelland, Karlsson and Pacioretty are popular enough to pitch cars for dealerships.
And the Knights did show an amusing video of Fleury driving to collect his 12 free donuts at a Krispy Kreme last season.
“I don’t have the ticket (t0 the game.) But I was there though,” Fleury told the drive thru worker at Krispy Kreme. “Maybe you can see me if you watched the game.”
And the Bellagio made a giant Fleury likeness out of chocolate for the NHL playoffs in April 2018.
^ ^ ^
Fleury’s spectacular save Tuesday — just the latest of many highlight reel saves for the Knights and Pittsburgh — showed not only his star power with the mass social media mentions but also validated his connection with fans who appreciate the goalie’s humble personality.
He appeals to all. In December 2017, there was Fleury on the ice playing goal against a National Finals Rodeo cowboy contestant who was skating with the puck at an ice session at City National Arena. I scrambled to snap this photo:
It’s like a NASCAR driver visiting Houston and playing one-on-one with Rockets’ star James Harden. Fleury, the man known as Flower, has marketing power that can be tapped even more in Las Vegas. I look forward to that.
^
The Golden Knights host the San Jose Sharks tonight at 7 am at the Big Ice House by the Strip. LVSportsBiz.com will be at Top of the Escalator at 5:45 pm today for our pregame show.
Follow LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter and Instagram. Like LVSportsBiz.com on Facebook.