Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has elected to ignore the National Hockey League’s ban on commemorative warm-up equipment by wearing a custom mask honoring Native American heritage prior to Friday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Fleury, 38, took to the ice wearing the mask – designed by Native American artist Cole Redhorse Taylor – at the Xcel Energy Center on Friday evening despite The Athletic‘s Michael Russo indicating earlier in the day that the NHL had threatened to fine Fleury and the Wild if he defied the league’s ban on wearing one-off equipment commemorating social causes.
According to Russo, Fleury commissioned the mask to honor his wife, who is Native. Included among the design elements on the mask are the names of Fleury’s children and a quote from his father. The Wild are celebrating Native American Heritage Day during their game against the Avalanche on Friday.
Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, took to social media on Friday to voice issue with the NHL’s decision in very strong terms.
“Marc-Andre Fleury indicated he was planning to wear the mask anyway and pay the fine,” Walsh posted, before touching on the situation numerous additional times leading up to Friday's game. “The NHL the Wild organization with an additional significant fine.”
Now, Fleury has done just that and worn the mask in warm-ups. And as ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski posted shortly before puck drop on Friday, no punishment is expected from the NHL to Fleury or the Wild as a consequence of him wearing it.
“The sense I get is that if Marc-Andre Fleury wears his Native American Heritage Night mask in warm-ups — and I’ve heard it’s a possibility — the expectation is that there would be no punishment to Fleury or the Wild,” Wyshynski wrote. “But he would be in violation of the NHL’s new policy.”
Earlier on Friday, the Wild tweeted out a video showing off and telling the story of Fleury’s special mask.
Through nine games with the Wild this season, Fleury has posted a 3–4–2 record and an .875 save percentage. The Wild currently occupy seventh place in the Central Division with a 5–8–4 record and 14 points in 17 games.
More must-reads: