Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has always been known for his unique style choices.
From donning shiny golden pads as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights to a faux-vintage setup with the Chicago Blackhawks, Fleury has long been considered one of the NHL’s flashier netminders.
His latest piece of equipment is causing quite the stir, though.
As part of the Wild’s upcoming Native American Heritage Night, the 38-year-old recently debuted a custom mask created by Mdewakanton Dakota artist Cole Redhorse Taylor.
As per The Athletic‘s Michael Russo, the floral design pays homage to his wife’s ancestral roots, incorporating a quote from Fleury’s own father and the names of his children.
Unfortunately, the NHL has prohibited him from donning the helmet for the Wild’s matchup against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night — even during warm-ups.
As part of Native American Heritage Night and to honor his wife, who is native, Marc-Andre Fleury had a custom-designed mask created by Cole Redhorse Taylor. Mask quotes his dad on back, has names of his kids.
He’s bummed the NHL has informed him he can’t even wear in warmups pic.twitter.com/wTR1BtkLOI
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) November 24, 2023
This decision follows the NHL’s distribution of multiple memos to all teams during the offseason, addressing themed nights. According to the league’s updated policy, players are now restricted from donning special jerseys or equipment during warm-ups. The policy change comes after controversies from the previous year, where some teams and players refrained from participating in special Pride Night warm-ups.
The rule also applied to multi-coloured Pride Tape. That was until NHL player Travis Dermott defied the policy, sporting the stick accessory anyway until the league went back on its decision.
Despite the likelihood of taking a financial hit, it looks like the Sorel-Tracy native is willing to follow Dermott’s lead and break the rules in order to wear the design.
Sports agent Allan Walsh later reported that Fleury is “planning to wear the mask anyway and pay the fine.”
Marc-Andre Fleury indicated he was planning to wear the mask anyway and pay the fine. The NHL then threatened the Wild organization with an additional significant fine. https://t.co/iVmCqyQR2H
— Allan Walsh🏒 (@walsha) November 24, 2023
As for how this will unfold, hockey fans will find out tonight when the Wild take on the Avalanche at 8:30 pm ET/7:30 CT.
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