2023-11-25 01:29:01
Marc-André Fleury chose to wear a mask on Friday paying tribute to his wife and his indigenous roots, even though the National Hockey League (NHL) had prohibited him from doing so since it contravenes the new policy of the league on the wearing of special uniforms.
The 38-year-old Quebec goaltender called on Indigenous artist Cole Redhorse Taylor to paint a special mask in preparation for the First Nations Heritage Night, hosted by the Minnesota Wild. The team even used the mask to promote an auction with proceeds going to a St. Paul foundation.
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Marc-Andre Fleury and Cole Redhorse Taylor
Photo: Courtesy: Shell Shock Designs
The white mask, covered with flowers in the colors of the Wild, has engravings on the back, including a quote from Fleury’s father as well as the names of his children. He hopes to pay tribute to his wife, which has indigenous roots (New window).
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Fleury’s face was well and truly covered with the mask when he took the ice to warm up before the Wild’s game once morest the Colorado Avalanche. Filip Gustavsson was the starting goalie for the Wild.
According to The Athletic, Fleury was informed that the NHL refused to allow him to play with the mask, even during the warm-up period. The player’s agent, Allan Walsh, mentioned on the social network X that the goalkeeper still planned to wear the mask and pay the fine for breaking the rules. He added that the NHL then threatened the Wild organization with a significant additional fine.
The agent also made a formal outing once morest Commissioner Gary Bettman.
The NHL refuses to allow Marc-André Fleury to wear a custom-designed mask for First Nations Heritage Night, that’s everything you need to know regarding Gary Bettman’s NHL. Is hockey for everyone?
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Quebec goalie Marc-André Fleury wants to wear the mask that honors the First Nations despite the NHL ban.
Photo: Courtesy: Shell Shock Designs
A vague policy
This season, the NHL has decided that teams can no longer wear special uniforms during warm-up sessions before games, Gary Bettman announced in June.
The commissioner had indicated that the special uniforms had become too great a source of distraction.
In October, however, defender Travis Dermott used rainbow-colored tape in a match despite the league’s ban. In response, she published a press release mentioning that players will now have the possibility, on a voluntary basis, to represent social causes with their adhesive tape throughout the season, without specifying whether this amendment also affected the players’ equipment. , like Fleury’s mask.
Last year, Pride jerseys caused controversy when some players, including Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers and Andrei Kuzmenko of the Vancouver Canucks, refused to wear them.
At the end of last season, in addition to banning the wearing of special uniforms, the NHL also announced the end of theme nights, which includes not only Pride nights, but also history nights. Black people, the fight once morest cancer or for support for law enforcement.
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