On Thursday night, Quebec native Marc-Andre Fleury made his last start in Montreal. The 40-year-old legendary goalie is in his final season with the Wild. A future first ballot Hall of Famer, he had a memorable game by shutting out the hometown Canadiens 4-0 at Bell Centre.

Fleury made 19 saves to record the 76th shutout of his career. That included an acrobatic pad save to rob Josh Anderson of a goal with the Canadiens trailing the Wild 2-0 in the third period. Fleury’s athletic stop drew some cheers from an appreciative Canadiens crowd. He’d also make another save on Anderson from long distance that kept his team up by two.

With the crowd still buzzing, the Wild took advantage of a turnover to take a 3-0 lead on the opposite end. After receiving a pass from Marco Rossi, Devin Shore beat Habs rookie Jakub Dobes from the slot with 14:03 remaining. His first goal of the season put the game away to guarantee Fleury’s 572nd win. He ranks second on the all-time list in wins, trailing only Devils legend Martin Brodeur, who holds the record with 691.

During a stoppage, the Canadiens paid tribute to Fleury’s outstanding career by paying tribute with a message on the video board congratulating him. For over a minute, the crowd stood and applauded loudly as Fleury waved in his net. When play finally continued, he heard “Fleury, Fleury, Fleury!” chants in an emotional scene.

After Frederick Gaudreau scored into an empty net to put the finishing touches on the Wild victory, the Canadiens congratulated Fleury by shaking his hand at center ice. Martin St. Louis waited by the bench to give him some kudos. Fittingly, Fleury was selected as the game’s first star in his final game in Montreal. It was quite the send-off.

The class exhibited by Montreal is second to none. It was a great gesture by an organization that gets it. We’ve seen all the wonderful tributes teams have been doing for Sam Rosen, who’s in his final season as the voice of the Rangers. He’s received so many gifts and compliments from coaches who have enjoyed having him around to cover games. What the Canadiens did was awesome for Fleury. That’s what makes the sport so special.