Appreciating Marc-Andre Fleury through the eyes of one of his former Penguins backups

PITTSBURGH — You may remember Brad Thiessen. He played five games for the Penguins in 2011-12 and served as a shooter tutor in practice during their 2009 Stanley Cup run.

Thiessen was mostly paid to stop pucks for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or Wheeling. However, on the occasions when his presence was required in Pittsburgh, he said Marc-Andre Fleury always made him feel like he was an essential part of the team.

“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of him is what kind of teammate he was,” Thiessen said Friday. “For a guy like myself, who was kind of only around for training camps and call-ups and whatnot, he always made you feel welcome.”

Fleury is the one who will be welcomed to Pittsburgh on Tuesday night when his Minnesota Wild visit PPG Paints Arena. It will likely be Fleury’s final game back in town, as the fan favorite has said that this will be his last season in the NHL.

The three-time champion’s impact is still felt in Pittsburgh, evidenced by the warm comments made about him Monday by Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and others.

To get a different perspective on Fleury both as a player and a person, we tracked down Thiessen to get a glimpse at Fleury through the eyes of one of his backups.

Thiessen, now a goaltending development coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, was happy to hop on the phone to share his favorite “Flower” stories. It’s telling he had several to choose from given that he didn’t spend much time in Pittsburgh.

Thiessen’s first stint in Pittsburgh came in the spring of 2009. When the Penguins signed him as an undrafted college free agent, he was coming off a standout season for Northeastern University and had been named a Hobey Baker Award finalist.

After Thiessen spent a couple of weeks with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Penguins asked Thiessen, who was 23, to practice with them during their march to the Cup.

“They needed another guy around to give Flower a break on off days and practices. It was my first chance to be around him and see what he was all about,” Thiessen said. “He couldn’t have been more welcoming. Obviously, it was a high-pressure situation, going through the playoffs like that. But he always had time to talk.”

He will not soon forget watching up close as Fleury, only 24 at the time, bounced back after getting pulled from Game 5 of the Cup Final at the old Joe Louis Arena.

“Just the way that he played and showing that he was mentally able to put it behind him and win the Cup, it was something where I definitely learned a lot,” he said.

Thiessen spent four years in the Pittsburgh organization. The first time that he got the call to back up Fleury, the future Hall of Famer made Thiessen quite anxious.

“I was getting ready for the game and putting all my gear on, and I’m looking up at the clock. It’s 15 minutes before warmups start, and I’m like half-dressed. Most of the guys are getting dressed. And there’s no Flower in the room,” Thiessen said.

The countdown clock in the dressing room ticked down to 12 minutes. 11. 10. 9.

“I was like, ‘What’s going on here? Am I going to have to play?’ ” Thiessen said. “All of the sudden, he comes bouncing in with eight minutes left to go. He throws his gear on and out onto the ice he goes. That was just who he was. He doesn’t really have a care in the world until it’s time to play the game. Then he’s ready to go.”

Thiessen played his five career NHL games all late in the 2011-12 season. His first victory came at home against Columbus on Feb. 26. He stopped 22 of 24 shots.

“I remember getting my first win and just how happy Flower was for me,” he said.

Thiessen said Fleury supported him in other ways during his time in Pittsburgh.

For one, Fleury was a notorious prankster, but for some reason he left him alone.

“I think he was too nice to do it to me because I was only around so often,” he said.

Thiessen also recalled the time he was around to attend one of the team’s rookie parties. They were at dinner when shots started to get passed around the table.

Thiessen said he “wasn’t a huge drinker” and wasn’t sure what to do when one was placed in front of him. Give into pressure and chug it? Or politely say no thanks?

“Flower looks at me, he kind of sees where I’m at, and he takes the shot and dumps it onto the table. He said, ‘You’re not going to like this. Don’t worry about it,’ ” he said with a laugh. “He was just always looking out for everybody, that’s for sure.”

While Fleury had a kind heart and a playful side, he could be a fierce competitor.

Thiessen was chuckling again as he thought about some of Fleury’s practice antics, like how he would cover his own eyes with his glove during shootouts and pretend he was blind. Other times, Fleury did push-ups before someone skated in on him.

“Those were fun things he did to lighten the mood, but he was also super competitive. He hated to be scored on. He was never going to give up on a puck,” Thiessen said. “It not only made him better, but it made all the other guys better because they knew that they had to go as hard as they could if they wanted to score on him.”

Thiessen said that without loving the game, someone couldn’t play in the league for 21 years, win three Cups and climb all the way to second in NHL history in wins.

It’s been an incredible run, and Pittsburgh can show Fleury the love on Tuesday.

Thiessen is unable to be there at PPG Paints Arena to help celebrate to his former goaltending partner. But he is certain Fleury will get the reception he deserves.

“It’s cool for him to go back for one final time in Pittsburgh. I’m sure it will be an emotional night,” he said. “He’s obviously done a lot for that city and a lot for the game, and I’m honored to have been there for a small part of it along the way.”