NHL DRAFT Pens go against grain, select goalie Fleury with No. 1 draft pick

Fleury is only the second goalie in league history to be picked No. 1 overall.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins accelerated their rebuilding project by choosing a supposedly can't-miss French-Canadian star with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft.
It worked in 1984 with Mario Lemieux. They can only hope it works again with goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Penguins traded with Florida to move up two spots in Saturday's draft and acquire the No. 1 pick, the first time they've owned it since drafting Lemieux.
"We got the guy we wanted, for sure," Penguins general manager Craig Patrick said.
The Penguins are nearly as bad now as in '84 -- only Carolina was lower in the overall standings -- but choosing a goalie, even one with Fleury's reputation and ability, signals a dramatic turnaround in their thinking.
Defense first
New coach Eddie Olczyk said the NHL's style of play has shifted so heavily to defense the Penguins must adapt, and gambling a once-in-a-generation No. 1 pick shows how they are embracing such change.
Traditionally, NHL teams are so hesitant to risk a first-round pick on a goalie that only one went No. 1 -- Rick DiPietro by the Islanders in 2000. Only six goalies were chosen among the top five in the last 34 years.
The Penguins' only two previous first-round goalies -- Gordie Laxton (1975) and Craig Hillier (1996) -- were huge flops, with Hillier floundering even in the low minors.
Still, the Penguins didn't give up much to make the deal, sending the No. 3 overall pick, a second-rounder and forward Mikael Samuelsson to Florida for the No. 1 pick and a third-rounder. Samuelsson scored only two goals in 22 games after being acquired from the Rangers in the Alexei Kovalev trade.
Fleury calls his style "part Martin Brodeur ... part Patrick Roy." He is nicknamed "Smiley" because, like the Devils' Brodeur, he'll react to giving up a bad goal with a smile, a shrug and a visible determination to not let it happen again.
"He's really cool under all kinds of pressure, he's got a great style and he's really quick," Patrick said.
Fleury's record (17-24-6) wasn't that great for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but he had a .910 save percentage. He also had a .957 save percentage and 1.28 goals-against average as Canada finished second at the world junior championships.
Talking to Mario
During the whirlwind of handshakes, back-patting and introductions that followed his selection, the 6-foot-1 1/2, 172-pound Fleury found time to take a phone call from Lemieux, now the Penguins' owner.
"He's a very great guy and an awesome player," Fleury said. "He said I would meet him later and I'm happy about that. ... I've never been to Pittsburgh before."
Admittedly nervous as he spoke with Lemieux, Fleury said, "It was weird to talk to him."
The Penguins don't expect Fleury to have the impact Lemieux did -- Lemieux scored on his first NHL shift -- but Patrick said he would be invited to training camp.
If nothing else, drafting a goalie indicates the Penguins don't think Johan Hedberg, who took them to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001, or Sebastien Caron, who had a good rookie season, is the long-term answer in net.
"We don't think we gave up very much at all," Patrick said. "We gave up a third- or fourth-line guy [Samuelsson] ... He was far and away the best goaltender in the draft, and we wanted a goaltender with his ability."
The Penguins used their No. 2 pick (No. 32 overall) on Ryan Stone, a 6-1, 200-pound center from Brandon (WHL) rated the 12th best North American player by NHL Central Scouting. He had 14 goals and 31 assists -- and 158 penalty minutes -- in 54 games last season.