The National Hockey League (NHL) recently denied a request from Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to wear a special mask for the Minnesota Wild’s Native American Heritage Night. Fleury had requested to wear a mask featuring a design inspired by the Ojibwe Nation, a Native American tribe in Minnesota.
The Wild had invited Fleury to wear the mask as part of their celebration of Native American Heritage Night. The mask was designed by a local artist and featured a design inspired by the Ojibwe Nation. Fleury was excited to wear the mask and show his support for the Wild’s celebration of Native American Heritage Night.
Unfortunately, the NHL denied Fleury’s request. The league cited their policy which states that all players must wear masks that are approved by the league. The NHL also said that they did not want to set a precedent of allowing players to wear special masks for special occasions.
While Fleury was disappointed by the NHL’s decision, he still showed his support for the Wild’s celebration of Native American Heritage Night. He wore a shirt featuring the Ojibwe Nation’s logo during the game and tweeted his support for the Wild’s celebration.
The NHL’s decision to deny Fleury’s request is understandable, as they want to maintain uniformity among players. However, it is unfortunate that Fleury was not able to show his support for the Wild’s celebration in a more visible way. Hopefully, in the future, the NHL will be more open to allowing players to express themselves with special masks for special occasions.
