BillsFever
07-19-2003, 08:17 PM
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Marc-Andre Fleury sat in a private box Friday night at the Brewers-Pirates game, the first time he's seen a Pittsburgh pro sports team play for real.
The next time the NHL's top draft pick sees such a game, he expects to be playing in it -- and, yes, that could be as early as October, when the Penguins open their season.
Fleury, the first Penguins player drafted No. 1 since owner-player Mario Lemieux in 1984, knows that 18-year-olds simply aren't supposed to be mature enough or experienced enough for the NHL. He has been told that only four goalies that young have played in the league since 1980.
"I think a goaltender has to get more experience, get more mature, that's when you can see them at their best," Fleury said Friday. "Some of the goalies now ... [Jose] Theodore, [Jean-Sebastien] Giguere, they're very strong now, but it took them a few years to get there."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2003/07/18/fleury_pittsburgh_ap/
The next time the NHL's top draft pick sees such a game, he expects to be playing in it -- and, yes, that could be as early as October, when the Penguins open their season.
Fleury, the first Penguins player drafted No. 1 since owner-player Mario Lemieux in 1984, knows that 18-year-olds simply aren't supposed to be mature enough or experienced enough for the NHL. He has been told that only four goalies that young have played in the league since 1980.
"I think a goaltender has to get more experience, get more mature, that's when you can see them at their best," Fleury said Friday. "Some of the goalies now ... [Jose] Theodore, [Jean-Sebastien] Giguere, they're very strong now, but it took them a few years to get there."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2003/07/18/fleury_pittsburgh_ap/