25 most bizarre goalie masks in NHL history
By C.L. Kohuss
No. 18: Gratoony the Loony
Gilles Gratton didn’t just wake up one day and decide to wear a tiger mask for absolutely zero reason. Wait, that’s exactly what he did.
Legend has it that Gratton not only donned one hell of an artistic statement every game, he’d growl and snarl at opposing players any time they got close enough to the crease. You know, like a tiger. Because that’s normal, right? He also has a firm belief that he’s reincarnated. Yep, he used to be a Count.
Folks, you don’t earn the nickname Gratoony the Loony any other way. The tiger mask was just a certificate of authenticity.
He has a book out, for anyone looking to fry their brain. It’s also called Gratoony the Loony. Because of course it is.
Here’s Gratton describing how the mask came to be.
Without a doubt, the best aspect of that video is his indifference to stealing a magazine from an airplane. You expected less?
In all seriousness, this one is an excellent piece of work and a personal favorite. It took artist Greg Harrison somewhere around seven days to make. That’s about how long it takes to create pure evil. We simply hope someone out there made a Freddy Kreuger-style basement for him to work in. If not, that’s a shame.
Gratton only played in 47 career NHL games. But it wouldn’t surprise us if he’s of the belief that he played in every game as every single goalie ever. He, too, spent most of his time in the WHA, like a lot of the guys previously mentioned. It’s the Bellevue of hockey, apparently.
Just don’t tell him that. Actually, he probably already knows we said it.