Marc-Andre Fleury tapes over Matt Niskanen's name on mask (Photos)

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury likes to honor his favorite teammates, past and present, on his mask. It appears he opted to put a piece of tape over one who was involved in the hit that knocked out teammate Sidney Crosby.

According to the above photo, Fleury covered the name of Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen. In Game 3, Niskanen was penalized for cross-checking Crosby in the head. Later it was divulged Crosby suffered a concussion on the play and would sit Game 4. Here is a shot of the mask without tape.

During in-game television coverage, both Sportsnet and NBC pointed out how Fleury did this to his mask.

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Niskanen played 214 games with the Penguins from 2010-11 through 2013-14 before signing a multi-year contract with the Capitals.

Fleury is known as one of Crosby’s best friends in hockey and the two have been teammates Crosby’s entire career.

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“It’s a tough moment for sure,” Fleury said about Crosby after the concussion was announced. “You know, you care a lot about him … We’ve been friends for a long time. I know he’s always devoted to the team. He’s always working hard out there. Hoping he feels better soon and see him smile again.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

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