Fleury finally talks about how he learned about trade from Vegas to Chicago

It's been over a week since the Vegas Golden Knights unceremoniously dumped franchise goaltender and Vezina Trophy winner Marc Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks for... well for nothing, really. The Golden Knights kicked Fleury and his $7 million cap hit out the door for almost no return.

The way in which the deal was done had drawn ire from not only Vegas fans, but from fans across the NHL. It was reported that Fleury had not heard from GM Kelly McCrimmon about his trade before it was leaked on Twitter from insiders like Elliotte Friedman and Darren Dreger. The team hadn't been in communication with Fleury and agent Alan Walsh in the days and weeks leading up to the trade and were reportedly just as stunned as fans were when the news went public.

Now a member of the Blackhawks Fleury is talking about that day and just exactly how he found out about his controversial trade.

Check it out courtesy of Blackhawks insider Mark Lazerus of The Athletic:

"My agent gave me a call, told me it was out on Twitter that I was traded. That’s how I found out. I don’t have social media, so I’m not on there looking things up all the time."

For what it's worth, McCrimmon claimed he had talked to Fleury about a potential trade two weeks prior to the deal with the Blackhawks. McCrimmon was clearly miffed that others felt that wasn't good enough communication. 

To me, this is no way to treat someone who has given his literal blood, sweat and tears to your franchise. There's been plenty of talk about how Fleury was the "face of the franchise" for the Golden Knights, but he was so much more than that. Every NHL expansion team since the 1990s has had a first "face of the franchise" but none of them have come even close to matching what Fleury brings to the table. Fleury is more than just a good guy in the locker room, he's one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and he's a three time Stanley Cup champion. He's arguably one of the best goaltenders of his generation and there's a real case for him to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame when his career is over. Now the Golden Knights have tainted his legacy in the city and they've pissed off an entire fanbase in the process. Yikes.