In his 14-year span with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Marc-André Fleury has never received honorary tribute like this.
The Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas has constructed a life-size statue of the 6-foot-2 goaltender. The statue is made up of 90 pounds of chocolate and features a base made up of Rice Krispies treats. In order to support the weight of the chocolate, wires and styrofoam were used to shape and hold the sculpture together.
Assistant executive pastry chefs Yamilet Hillers and Jerome Jacob worked for five weeks on the life-size sculpture. However, Hillers says the helmet was the hardest part to construct. Per Review Journal:
“It has a lot of intricate areas,” she said. “It has a knight on one side and a little bit of the Las Vegas skyline on the other.”
Bellagio president, Randy Morton, says he wanted to commemorate the team on how successful they were in their first year. The statue was finished after the Knights clinched a playoff spot and will be on display throughout the postseason. The team will host the Los Angeles Kings for the first round of the NHL playoffs.
Fleury was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights from the Penguins in the NHL expansion draft last June. This year he posted great numbers with 29-13-4 and a career high .927 save percentage.
Photo: Getty Images