NHL Reportedly Won't Fine Marc-Andre Fleury For Wearing Native American Heritage Mask

The NHL told Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury he could not wear a custom Native American Heritage Night mask in warmups Friday. But Fleury did it anyway.

With the Wild celebrating Native American Heritage night Friday against the Colorado Avalanche, the 38 year old wanted to honor his wife, Véronique, who is Native Canadian. The mask was specially designed by Dakota artist Cole Redhorse Taylor.

But his agent, Allan Walsh, said the league prohibited Fleury from wearing the mask because it violated a new NHL policy on players wearing specialty equipment on theme nights.

(Getty Images)

Walsh said Fleury offered to pay whatever fine the league would dish out, but then the NHL then threatened the Wild with an "additional significant fine" if he disobeyed.

According to ESPN, though, the NHL was bluffing and will not levy the fine after all.

Marc-Andre Fleury Defies NHL Policy

This offseason, the NHL announced a policy banning players from wearing "specialty" sweaters that support social causes while on the ice. The move stems from widespread controversy over some players declining to wear LGBTQ Pride jerseys last season.

And since some woke fans and media members couldn't stomach the thought of players passing on wearing rainbows for religious, personal, and sometimes even safety reasons, they decided to get rid of themed jerseys altogether.

(Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

In addition to Fleury's Native American-themed helmet, there have been other exemptions made this season.

The NHL allowed Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer to wear specialty masks for Hockey Fights Cancer nights.

And in October, the NHL reversed its ban on rainbow-colored stick tape after Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott defied the rules and used the LGBTQ Pride tape during a game.

Maybe hockey should follow suit with the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" initiative — allowing players to advocate for whatever cause they want on one game of the year.

Although it's important to note that forcing players to wear uniforms celebrating sexuality is very different than allowing players to voluntarily wear uniforms celebrating their culture or raising cancer awareness.

Good on the NHL for not following through with the punishment of Fleury. But with this many exceptions just over a month into the season, maybe it's time to re-think the policy altogether.

Follow Amber on X at @TheAmberHarding or email her at Amber.Harding@OutKick.com.