Marc Andre Fleury reveals why he blocked a trade to Washington.

There was a lot of talk surrounding veteran National Hockey League goaltender Marc Andre Fleury leading up to the National Hockey League's trade deadline last Monday. For a period of time it looked like Fleury would remain in Chicago as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, but when it became clear he would be traded he was linked to a number of different teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, and the Minnesota Wild whom he was eventually traded to.

It is unclear why the deal with the Maple Leafs did not work out, although there have been reports suggesting that the Blackhawks were simply asking for too much, but on Sunday evening Fleury revealed why he refused to become the newest member of the Washington Capitals.

During an intermission show for the NHL on TNT, Fleury would reveal that he simply did not like the idea of playing for a Capitals franchise that he had battled so fiercely in the past. Fleury was of course a long time member of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise and the Penguins and Capitals were fierce rivals for many years as they often clashed during both the regular season and the playoffs. According to Fleury it simply would have been wrong for him to play for the Capitals franchise after being on the other side of that rivalry for so long.

"It just didn’t seem right," admitted Fleury on TNT.

It is interesting to learn that a rivalry that he has not been a part of for several years now would still weigh so heavily on his mind. That is perhaps a glimpse into the inner competitor that lurks beneath Fleury's jovial persona. That he would forgo a chance at potentially winning a Stanley Cup alongside the Capitals because of how much that rivalry, and perhaps by extension his time as a Pittsburgh Penguin, meant to him is something I believe many fans will view with respect and admiration.

What has no doubt been a loss for the Capitals however has turned into a win for the Wild, who won their first game with Fleury in goal on Saturday night.