Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is wearing his custom mask after all.
The veteran had planned to wear a special mask for his team’s Native American Heritage Night but was initially prevented from doing so by the NHL over rules that prevent players from wearing jerseys, masks or decals on theme nights.
However, Fleury — who did not play in the game — decided to wear the mask in warmups on Friday night before the team’s 3-2 to the Avalanche.
The Athletic reported the goalie and the Wild were unlikely to be fined.
“Marc-Andre Fleury is wearing his custom Native-American inspired goalie mask in warm ups right now! Go Flower!” wrote agent Allan Walsh on X.
Walsh previously confirmed the league’s initial decision to stop the goalie from wearing the mask and added Fleury was even willing to pay a fine for just wearing the mask in warmups, but the league argued the mask was against NHL policy.
Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) wears his Native American Heritage mask. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con“The NHL refusing to allow Marc-Andre Fleury from wearing a custom designed mask Native American Heritage Night (even in warm ups) is all you need to know about Gary Bettman’s NHL,” Walsh wrote on X. “Hockey is for everyone?”
The league twice told Fleury — whose wife, Véronique, is Native Canadian — that NHL rules prevented Fleury from doing wearing the mask, per The Athletic.
The mask was designed by Mdewakanton Dakota artist Cole Redhorse Taylor, who included “Dakota Florals” into the design (Fleury’s nickname is Flower) while also incorporating the Dakota language.
Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) wears his Native American Heritage mask in warmups. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConTaylor also spoke out against the initial decision to block Fleury from donning the mask, calling the move “racist.”
“What they don’t realize is … they’re being racist towards Indigenous peoples without intentionally doing so,” Taylor, a member of the Prairie Island Indian Community, told the Toronto Star. “We were exiled from our homelands. My ancestors were executed for defending our rights to exist … That’s something that I feel a lot of institutions really don’t think about when they have to make these really hard decisions.”
The Wild are auctioning it off, and proceeds will go to the Minnesota Wild Foundation and the American Indian Family Center, per The Athletic.
Marc-Andre Fleury was blocked from wearing the specialty helmet. NHLI via Getty ImagesIt’s not the first time in 2023 the NHL has been involved in backlash surrounding themed nights.
Earlier this year, the league blocked teams from specialty jerseys before games and also stopped players from using themed stick tape, which it later reversed, allowing players to use rainbow-colored Pride tape.






