Marc-Andre Fleury Defies NHL's Rule, Wears Special Mask for Wild's Native American Heritage Night

Updated: The NHL reportedly told Marc-Andre Fleury he couldn't wear a custom-designed Native American heritage mask in warmups on Friday, but he did it anyway.

Update: Minnesota Wild netminder Marc-Andre Fleury sported a custom-designed mask made for the Minnesota Wild's Native American Heritage night in warmups after his agent originally said the NHL would not permit him to wear it.

The Athletic's Michael Russo shared photos of Fleury wearing his helmet in warmups, adding that Fleury risked being fined for doing so. However, Russo and ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported it's unlikely Fleury or the team will be fined. The original story follows.

The Wild netminder had artist Cole Redhorse Taylor, a Mdewakanton Dakota and a member of the Prairie Island Indian Community, design a mask for Fleury in honor of the night and his wife, Veronique Larosee Fleury, who is of Abenaki and Mi'kmaq descent. Shell Shock Designs painted the mask.

But as The Athletic's Michael Russo reported on X (formerly known as Twitter), the NHL informed Fleury he couldn't even wear the helmet in warmups. Fleury's agent, Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey, added to Russo's post, saying the goalie was willing to wear the mask anyway and pay the fine, but the NHL then threatened the Minnesota Wild with an additional significant fine if the 38-year-old netminder defied the league. The NHL has not commented on the report or Walsh's post at this time.

The NHL banned specialty jerseys during warmups for initiatives such as themed nights ahead of the 2023-24 season – it also initially banned the use of stick tape to represent social causes, but it reversed that decision on Oct. 24 after Travis Dermott had Pride tape on his stick in a game for the Arizona Coyotes.

Taylor said the helmet is meant to represent Dakota culture and aesthetics, as well as emulate the environment, flora of the area and relationship to the earth.

"It also is coincidental because Fleury, he's called 'The Flower,' and I just thought that'd be really cool," Taylor said in a video posted by the Wild on X.

The helmet also includes words in the Dakota language, featuring "Mni Sota Makoce," the Dakota name of the region of Minnesota.

"The language part was really really important for me, to have Dakota language, which is the first language of this area, of St. Paul, of Minnesota," Taylor said.

The Wild put Fleury's autographed mask up for auction as well as autographed Native American Heritage themed jerseys of each player. The auction runs until 9 p.m. Central time. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Minnesota Wild Foundation and the American Indian Family Center in St. Paul, according to the team's website.

Fleury's had an Indigenous-themed custom-designed mask made before to commemorate his wife and Native American Heritage Month in November. In 2021 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Fleury commissioned Ojibwe artist Patrick Hunter to design a mask, which included seven feathers to symbolize the Seven Grandfather Teachings and flowers to represent the unity of the Indigenous cultures.

November is also Hockey Fights Cancer month in the NHL. Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer wore a purple helmet during their Nov. 16 game against the New York Islanders, as has Florida Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky in every game this month since Nov. 8. However, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson was reportedly not allowed by the NHL to put a cancer ribbon on his helmet design for a matchup against the San Jose Sharks, according to THN San Jose site manager Max Miller.