NHL goalie masks have evolved from being stark and plain into true works of art over the decades
Henrik Lundqvist has the Statue of Liberty. Backup Devan Dubnyk has Melman the Giraffe, from Madagascar, dressed as a gun-slinging outlaw. Tuukka Rask has a fierce grizzly bear, and Jonathan Quick wears a knight’s helmet to protect the Kings’ net.
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Every NHL goaltender has a unique mask design, representing the team they stand guard for and different aspects of their own personalities. From cartoon depictions of their children to hidden sketches of Kermit the Frog, goalie masks are as unique and personalized as the people wearing them.
Newer generations of NHL fans cannot picture their favorite netminders without goalie masks serving as spectacular works of art, but these uniform pieces didn’t always have bright colors and meaningful designs.
Gerry Cheevers was the first netminder to put a design on his mask in the 1960’s, though he undoubtedly didn’t realize that he would start a revolution with his magic marker.
During practice one day, Cheevers protested being sent back into net after receiving a puck to the face by having the trainer draw ten stitches on his mask with a magic marker. Every time he got hit, he had the trainer add more- until the whole mask was covered. It served as a reminder to everyone what could happen without the mask.
Since then, masks have gotten significantly more detailed- and the goalie masks themselves have even evolved. What used to only cover their faces- and their whole faces- now has a protective cage where the mask used to be, a neck protector, and a full helmet.
"“With Cheevers we saw an identity that was part of your personality,” netminder John Garrett said. “You could represent your team and be a little different than the logo on your sweater.”"
To read more about the history of NHL masks, check out the expose done on NHL.com– and no matter what, have a very happy hockey season.
*author’s note: I may or may not be getting a mask done this year for beer league. There’s a distinct chance it’s going to be one of the first goalie masks to have Greek Life letters on it. Cheers, y’all.
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