“I think he watched too many videos of his dad doing it!” Letang quipped.
Letang personally enjoyed when Fleury hung teammates’ clothing from the rafters at PPG Paints Arena, another prank that required some serious effort and a little assistance. Fleury did it to Justin Schultz, with the words ‘New Guy’ written on tape, and then-rookie Bryan Rust.
“I remember coming out on the ice and seeing stuff up there. I didn’t realize it was mine until I had already done a lap and I saw somebody put ‘Rust’ on the back of my jacket,” he said with a laugh. “But it was fun. I think it was kind of a ‘welcome to the league’ moment for me.
“Obviously, I didn’t really know who it was at first, and then as time went on, I realized it had to have been Flower. He may never admit it, it may not have been him, but I’d put heavy odds at on it being him. It was just part of his charm. You knew you were part of the team.”
Fleury said that while he’s become the main culprit associated with pranks, when he first came into the league, everyone was doing them.
“It’s just how it was. There wasn’t many days I didn’t have holes in my socks or my underwear or my tie wasn’t cut, you know what I mean? It was just normal. Every day something was happening and we had good guys that maybe I learned from… [laughs] I think we spent so much time together, with the hotels, the plane, the bus, the rink. It’s a good way to keep things light and have some laughs.”
Fleury certainly became a Hall of Fame prankster in addition to a Hall of Fame goaltender.
“They’re all funny,” Letang said. “I think it’s a way of having fun at the rink, and sometimes bring the atmosphere. Sometimes it could be tight in the room with different guys. So, I think it’s a way to bring different energy inside the room, making sure that we’re enjoying what we do every day.”
“He’s a funny guy, for sure,” Malkin said. “We know he’s a nice guy, a nice teammate. He never tried to be a bad guy. He’s always fun and it was always cool stuff.”