Marc Andre Fleury gets some rare love from a rival fan.

There are few players in any sport that can become so beloved that even rival fans and players are loathe to speak ill of them, and if any player currently active in the National Hockey League has earned that status it has to be veteran goaltender Marc Andre Fleury.

Fleury's affable nature and smiley disposition have made him a favorite of fans around the league and the fact that he has had a great deal of success while doing so, while also playing for a number of different teams in the NHL, has only bolstered his already considerable popularity. The love that Fleury gets from hockey fans around the league has become something of a phenomenon and this week we got yet another sign of Fleury's considerable popularity.

Fleury received a special message and a special gift from a fan of the St. Louis Blues who lists the Minnesota Wild as her second favorite team, and he decided to share the special moment with the world. Fleury's gifts as well as the letter from the young fan were published by the Minnesota Wild's official social media accounts.

Here is what the message said:

Dear Marc-Andre

I have been following your career since the beginning. I am a huge fan, I am so happy you are playing for my second favorite team, the Wild.
I have included my card that shares some of my story.
You can also google it if you are interested. Good luck in the upcoming playoffs.

Laila

Laila got to take some photos with Fleury and the Wild were even kind enough to share her letter with all of us in its original form, which quite frankly looks a lot nicer than when it's simply typed out on a screen. And of course I'm sure you won't be surprised to learn that Fleury's gift once again came in the form of some lovely flowers, something that has become a common way to show love to the reigning Vezina Trophy winner.

I wonder what Fleury does will all the flowers he has received from fans over the years.