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1 year ago
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Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury risked the wrath of the NHL on Friday night by defying a ban and wearing a custom face mask to honor his wife.
The NHL star was informed he could not wear a personalized mask for the team's Native American Heritage Night, after he made it clear he wanted to pay tribute to his wife Veronique, an Indigenous woman.
But despite the threat of a 'significant fine' from the NHL, Fleury skated onto the ice for team warm-ups wearing the mask, which was white and featured Indigenous drawings.
The league prohibits players from wearing specialty jerseys, masks, stickers, decals or tape for theme nights.
The league initially banned players from using rainbow-colored tape on Pride nights before reversing that decision after receiving backlash from around the hockey community.
Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was told he cannot honor his wife with his mask
Fleury defied orders and risked a 'significant fine' from the league with his personalized mask
Fleury is pictured with his wife Veronique (right), with whom he has three children
The NHL recently lifted a ban on rainbow-colored Pride Tape after a significant backlash
Fleury has risked being slapped with a 'significant fine' by the league after disobeying orders
Teams are not allowed to dress players in themed jerseys for warmups this season after a handful of players decided last season to opt out of Pride Night warmups that included specialty jerseys.
Fleury's agent said he had offered to pay whatever fine he'd receive and the NHL threatened to levy the organization with an 'additional significant fine' - but that still not not deter the player from following through with his idea.
It is not clear how much either of those fines will be. The Wild had no comment, while a message sent to the NHL regarding the situation was not immediately returned.
Fleury, 38, is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and won the Vezina Trophy in 2021 as the league's top goaltender.
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