25 most bizarre goalie masks in NHL history
By C.L. Kohuss
No. 2: Riot Gear
This “mask” was never used in a full NHL game, instead being toyed around with mostly in practice. But that doesn’t make it any less ridiculous or bizarre to look at. It’s too bad though that goalies never got around to wearing it full time. It’s pretty creative. You can clearly see everything in front of you (until it fogs up on a breakaway and then you’re doomed) and it seems to be fairly sturdy as well.
Oh, and best of all, if your play on the ice stinks so bad that a riot breaks out among fans, you have top of the line gear already covering your face. Hey, if it’s good enough to stop a jagged rock, why not vulcanized rubber being shot at 20,000 leagues per second?
Delbert Louch created this mask and it was known as a “head saver.” No one must have been too enthralled by that oh so fancy nickname, considering it didn’t exactly see much light in games.
And boy is that saying something, don’t you think? When goalies who get repeatedly hit in the head because they aren’t wearing protection tell you they don’t like your form of protection, you might be seeing the end of your inventing days.
If you go through the entire video posted above, you’ll find plenty of pictures where goalies are passed out from being knocked in the brain. Here comes Delbert Louch, savior of men. Did they listen? Nah. Poor guy.
Also check out the video for the sole fact that it offers a great history of the mask in general.