Fleury upset NHL rule barred him from wearing Native American heritage mask
Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is upset about not being allowed to wear a custom-designed mask in honor of his wife for the club's Native American Heritage Night, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.
The NHL banned specialty equipment and jerseys for initiative-themed nights prior to the 2023-24 season. Fleury was willing to accept a fine to wear the headgear for warmup, but his agent, Allan Walsh, said the league threatened the Wild with a significant additional fine.
Fleury called the league's decision "stupid."
The mask features floral patterns for Fleury's nickname and includes a quote from his late father on the back.
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.
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) November 24, 2023
He’s bummed the NHL has informed him he can’t even wear in warmups pic.twitter.com/wTR1BtkLOI
Fleury is in his third season with the Wild and the 20th of his NHL career. He's 3-4-2 on the season with an .875 save percentage.