Whats this? Dahwks!

I bring you one of my favorite videos ever. It begins ordinary, J.S. Giguere talking about his cyborg mask. Then the good stuff happens. Ilya Bryzgalov, proceeds to tell us about his cartoon covered mask, broken English and all. This is somewhat old, but hope my one reader* likes it.



*One reader may not be true, there, in fact, may be none

Team Spotlight: Chicago Blackhawks

Going through picture of goalie masks, team by team, I realized that some are just not creative, lightning for Tampa Bay, stars for Dallas, and so on. The Chicago Blackhawks do have the majority of their helmets covered in Native Americans, but are really awesome looking.
First of all lets start in the beginning. Tony Esposito had a very strange looking mask, when he played in Chi-town. Of course he also wore the classic "Jason" style mask without any trace of the glasses mask.
Ed Belfour's, famous "Eddy the Eagle" mask was gone when this picture was taken of him as a rookie. And Micheal Leighton donned a robot like man, while Jocelyn Thibault went the traditional route.
Fast forward to the present, and the Blackhawks have two goalies, both with masks that have followed their careers. Nikolai Khabibulin has had his Bulin Wall/ Eagle paint job for a while, and it continues in the Windy City.

Now for the fun part. One of the most intimidating/funny looking/coolest mask I have ever seen is this. Today in an era of political correctness, I doubt that something like this could happen again. Just the idea of getting ready to shoot when you look up, and see this? Later Jeff Hacket did his own style, but with just the headdress. So that is what the Chicago Blackhawks have contributed to the goalie mask world.

In the Beginning...

Ah, time for a little background on the beloved goalie mask. To the left you see a very primitive rendition of this piece of equipment. Clint Benedict was struck in the face in a game between the Canadians and the Maroons on 1930. So Clint decided to try out a mask. Well, he found it obstructed his vision, so after 2 games, he stopped wearing it. The creation of the mask would have to wait a couple more years.
In 1959 a man by the name of Jacques Plante donned the second mask; a little more modern looking, but still a little strange, nonetheless. This was the beginning of the mask as we know it today. Plante continued to wear it even while being ridiculed, a modern-day Noah perhaps.
This is the early history of the mask. Artwork, cages, even a good design had yet to be added to the history of the goalie mask. So I thank you , Mr. Benedict, and you too Jacques, for making the game of hockey a little more colorful.

Dwayne Roloson's Former Mask's Backstory

Current Mask

Why?

Why are so many people fascinated with goalie masks? It can't be the safety reasons, or the structure of the helmet. It simply looks cool. Growing up, I loved masks like John Vanbiesbrouck, or Mike Richter. They looked invincible.
Not only that, but it has personal meaning for those who wear it. Such as a son's initials, or a favorite former player, or as simple as a jersey number. Combine that with the team color and logo, and you have the perfect amount of Team and Self. No other sport give that freedom, except maybe basketball shoes. You will never see a football player with a picture of Yoda on the back.
So this is my tribute, to the masks past and present. From the familiar to the unheard. This is Mask's of Glory. (Anyone know a better name?)