Marc-Andre Fleury gets the last laugh over the NHL!

Veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who recently won his 548th career National Hockey League game to move within three of tying his boyhood idol Patrick Roy, found himself at the center of controversy late last month. 

He and the Minnesota Wild were reportedly threatened by the NHL if he elected to wear a special mask that was custom painted for Minnesota's observance of Native American Heritage Night. However, he defied the edict from the League and took to the ice at XCel Energy Center during pre-game warmups wearing the mask anyway. 

The good news is that the NHL backed off from their reported threat toward him and the Wild, and the even better news is that the mask eventually purchased for $35,100 by a lucky bidder. 

“Very generous,” Fleury said. “It’s for a good cause, which is the main reason why I wanted to wear the mask. You can wear the mask for 15 minutes and raise a good bunch of money to help people. “To me, I just thought it was the right thing to do. I’m not someone that likes to go against rules. My mom was surprised that I wore it, but it just made no sense to me."

"Like, I’ve had four paint jobs on my masks this season, so I could have worn this mask all season and nobody would say a thing. It’s just such a small thing to do. but it meant so much to the people we’re raising money for and the person, Cole (Redhorse Taylor), who designed it.”

Additionally, the Prairie Island Indian Community will be matching the mask's donation to a charity that Fleury picks. 

At the start of the season, the NHL had implemented restrictions on players' individual expressions supporting causes and organizations. This decision aimed to prevent further controversies that had garnered widespread attention the previous year, notably when players chose not to wear Pride warmup sweaters.

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