"Lucky it wasn’t Rempe that punched him" "Most hated man in hockey": NHL fans react as Marc-Andre Fleury gets punched in face mid-scrum

During Saturday's game at Xcel Energy Center, Minnesota Wild’s Marc-Andre Fleury was punched by Calgary Flames’ Rasmus Andersson. The incident happened during the second period after Fleury made a save and covered the puck. Players crowded near the net and Fleury tried pulling Andersson away from the scrum. Andersson responded by punching him in the face.

Wild teammate Mats Zuccarello immediately tackled Andersson to the ice and Fleury also got involved. Officials handed penalties to Fleury, Zuccarello, Andersson and Calgary’s Jonathan Huberdeau.

B/R Open Ice shared a video of the punch.

"MARC-ANDRÉ FLEURY GOT PUNCHED IN THE FACE MID-SCRUM 😳," B/R Open captioned.

Fans quickly reacted to the clip.

“He’s lucky it wasn’t Rempe that punched him, he would’ve been out cold,” one fan said.

"Lol this guy just became the most hated man in hockey by the fans. No one messes with Flower, one fan wrote.

"Lol this guy just became the most hated man in hockey by the fans. No one messes with Flower," a fan said.

"You don't punch a treasure like flower, 3 game suspension for the offenders," one fan commented.

Fleury, known as "Flower," is a well-respected goaltender and a fan favorite. The punch upset fans who viewed it as unsportsmanlike.

"Lifetime ban. No questions asked- don’t touch flower." a fan wrote.

"No way anyone would do that to my Flower. Good job by the Wild for standing up for Flower!" another fan wrote.

"Lol this guy just became the most hated man in hockey by the fans. No one messes with Flower" one fan commented.

"Who punches 🌺 Flower 🌼?!!!! Everybody love MAF! We STILL love him in Chicago and he was here far too short a time." a Chicago fan wrote.

The NHL has not announced any additional action against Andersson. Despite the altercation, Fleury remains one of hockey’s most admired players among fans.

Marc-Andre Fleury failed to stop against the Calgary Flames in Wild's 5-4 loss

The Minnesota Wild lost 5-4 to the Calgary Flames on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves but couldn’t stop Calgary’s strong offense.

Andrei Kuzmenko scored first for Calgary on a power play at 6:58 of the first period before Joel Eriksson Ek tied it 1-1 with a wrist shot at 9:34. Martin Pospisil made it 2-1 for Calgary in the second period at 12:02. Rasmus Andersson added a one-timer at 19:52, giving Calgary a 3-1 lead.

Clark Bishop extended the Flames’ lead to 4-1 in the third. Frederick Gaudreau scored for Minnesota at 14:15 to make it 4-2, but Kuzmenko quickly answered with his second goal, 14 seconds later. Marcus Foligno and Mats Zuccarello scored late for the Wild, but the comeback fell short.