Player willing to pay fine for wearing special event item, team threatened with significant fine

[LadyStanley]

NHL threatening

Click to read more...

 

[Yukon Joe]

This is rainbow stick-tape all over again.

How can anyone find that mask inappropriate. I f I were MAF I would wear the mask and dare the league to fine me for the egregious sin of honouring first nations culture.

 

[tucker3434]

I get where the league is coming from in this, even if it doesn’t look great. This case is obviously fine. Start getting into special edition Israel or Palestine equipment, it gets hairy. All or nothing.

 

[SingDomestica]

I think it’s more of a fact that the NHL does not make any money off this, so it’s not allowed.

 

[Yukon Joe]

I get where the league is coming from in this, even if it doesn’t look great. This case is obviously fine. Start getting into special edition Israel or Palestine equipment, it gets hairy. All or nothing.

Even there (which is about as hot-button a topic as you can get) as long as it's not a call to violence, if a player wants to honour israeli and/or Palestinian victims of the conflict that person may well receive social media blowback, but why should the league care?

 

[tucker3434]

Even there (which is about as hot-button a topic as you can get) as long as it's not a call to violence, if a player wants to honour israeli and/or Palestinian victims of the conflict that person may well receive social media blowback, but why should the league care?

Who decides where that line is? If you allow none of it, you can’t be accused of bias. And as was pointed out, the NHL isn’t making any money off of it. Just kind of a high risk, no reward situation as far as they are concerned.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Who decides where that line is? If you allow none of it, you can’t be accused of bias. And as was pointed out, the NHL isn’t making any money off of it. Just kind of a high risk, no reward situation as far as they are concerned.

Because if you allow none of it then you get the negative media attention the league is getting now - between MAF's helmet and the rainbow stick tape.

Drawing a line can be hard, sure. And you'll run into edge cases where people can legitimately argue whether it should or should not be allowed. But if you allow NOTHING, then you'll get cases that are obviously pure and innocent and the league looks terrible by prohibiting it.

 

[tucker3434]

Because if you allow none of it then you get the negative media attention the league is getting now - between MAF's helmet and the rainbow stick tape.

Drawing a line can be hard, sure. And you'll run into edge cases where people can legitimately argue whether it should or should not be allowed. But if you allow NOTHING, then you'll get cases that are obviously pure and innocent and the league looks terrible by prohibiting it.

Does the average Joe that isn't scanning a hockey forum know that MAF isn't allowed to wear a certain mask during warmups? It's definitely a smaller circle than those that would know if he did wear something that pissed people off.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Does the average Joe that isn't scanning a hockey forum know that MAF isn't allowed to wear a certain mask during warmups? It's definitely a smaller circle than those that would know if he did wear something that pissed people off.

Just watch - I bet more people would know about him being refused to be allowed to wear the helmet. Just wait till it gets talked about on HNIC or ESPN.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

This is the type of stuff Gary Bettman should be criticized for.

 

[LadyStanley]

The plot thickens

 

[dj4aces]

This is an absolute disaster for the league and its PR team, and I'm here for it. I don't know who at the NHL thought this was a good idea, but I can't see that person or group having a job for much longer.

Just watch - I bet more people would know about him being refused to be allowed to wear the helmet. Just wait till it gets talked about on HNIC or ESPN.

More like MSNBC, CNN, or Fox News. This ban was viewed by a lot of people as being political in nature, not at all about the sport. So just watch it get picked up by major news networks, especially with the threats against the player and organization because he chose to celebrate Native American Heritage Night with a native-themed mask.

 

[red devil]

A source told ESPN that there isn't any punishment expected for Fleury or the Wild from the NHL for the goalie having worn the Native American Heritage night mask.

 

[GordonGraham]

Wearing equipement not authorized by the league should not be a fine for the team/player it should be a forfeit of the game

 

[SirJW]

Marc-Andre Fleury defies NHL ban, wears Native American Heritage Night mask

Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is wearing his custom mask after all.

nypost.com

 

[Ernie]

Wearing equipement not authorized by the league should not be a fine for the team/player it should be a forfeit of the game

That's a reasonable take right there

 

[Mike C]

This is an absolute disaster for the league and its PR team, and I'm here for it. I don't know who at the NHL thought this was a good idea, but I can't see that person or group having a job for much longer.



More like MSNBC, CNN, or Fox News. This ban was viewed by a lot of people as being political in nature, not at all about the sport. So just watch it get picked up by major news networks, especially with the threats against the player and organization because he chose to celebrate Native American Heritage Night with a native-themed mask.

With all else going on in the world, I don't think too many people really give much of a shit to be honest

 

[GoldenSeal]

Go home NHL, you’re drunk.

 

[toddkaz]

Because if you allow none of it then you get the negative media attention the league is getting now - between MAF's helmet and the rainbow stick tape.

Drawing a line can be hard, sure. And you'll run into edge cases where people can legitimately argue whether it should or should not be allowed. But if you allow NOTHING, then you'll get cases that are obviously pure and innocent and the league looks terrible by prohibiting it.

Oh no negative media attention. Who cares, in fact other sports don't allow it and they dont get negative media attention. Media shaming sports is irrelevant. Play the sport.

There is no pure or innocent. The line is drawn and the players no where it is.

Your hot take is just terrible. It was never a problem in the past to have a line and just play sports.

 

[Stand Witness]

Walsh is the "least credible" credible source out there. He just wants to stir up controversy and get his name in the media.

Nothing came of this.

 

[ps241]

Walsh is the "least credible" credible source out there. He just wants to stir up controversy and get his name in the media.

Nothing came of this.

Walsh missed his calling as an over the top wrestling manager for WWE.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

The par for the course is apparently the NHL needlessly making itself the bad guy by threatening fines over innocuous and nice things that no even-tempered and rational person would have an issue with only to just not do anything once they face meaningful and forseeable backlash.

So free PR points for teams and players, but at the cost of a rep hit to thr league brand.

The wizzes that run the NHL aren't very smart.

 

[LadyStanley]

I hope that behind the scenes, the NHL, the NHLPA and the Player Inclusion Committee are working toward a clear, concise policy on tribute goalie masks, tape, jerseys, everything you can think of. Originally, when Marc-Andre Fleury submitted in September a request to wear his special mask, it was denied because of the new rules at the time. I completely understand why Fleury felt so strongly he should wear his as time progressed. Travis Dermott used the Pride tape, Sergei Bobrovsky and Philip Grubauer wore their Hockey Fights Cancer masks, as they all should have been allowed to — no questions asked, no penalties even considered.

 

[daver]

"I hope that behind the scenes, the NHL, the NHLPA and the Player Inclusion Committee are working toward a clear, concise policy on tribute goalie masks, tape, jerseys, everything you can think of. Originally, when Marc-Andre Fleury submitted in September a request to wear his special mask, it was denied because of the new rules at the time. I completely understand why Fleury felt so strongly he should wear his as time progressed. Travis Dermott used the Pride tape, Sergei Bobrovsky and Philip Grubauer wore their Hockey Fights Cancer masks, as they all should have been allowed to — no questions asked, no penalties even considered."

So long as the underlying premise is:

"you can do your thing but don't make me also have to do your thing"

then it should be all good.

 

[joestevens29]

I get why the NHL has the rules as they wanted to make sure no one was forced into supporting something they didn't want to, but my god this one is ridiculous.

If Fleury wouldn't have submitted that mask and his agent didn't say anything before hand, how many people would've even noticed that the helmet was in support of something? I mean isn't his nickname "flower", looks like there are some flowers on that mask.

The fact that his wife is of Native Heritage brings up even another question. If Fleury himself was part native would be not be allowed to support his heritage on his mask at all times, as I'm pretty sure someone else has supported their heritage at one time or another on their mask.