You Too Can Hold Gary Cheever in Your Hand!

Does anyone remember those Starting Lineup figurines? My personal one was Darren Puppa. The combination of a weird name, cool mask, and his position, made him my personal favorite (next was Patrick Roy). Anyway, those figures always were conservative with the masks. Either they were blank or they had a little team logo on them.

What I'm trying to get to is this. Imagine those on steroids, and you get McFarlanes. Most of you probably have seen these but if you haven't you must. Great blend of current and past masks including:

Grant Fuhr (Maple Leafs, Oilers)
Bernie Parent
Ryan Miller
Jose Theodore (With Winter Classic Beanie)

And my personal three favorites:
Tony Esposito (Canadians, Blackhawks)
Gary Cheevers

Many of these are available on eBay, or any local toy store.

Sunday Random Mask, Guess Who

Answer: It is indeed Sean Burke. Get it? Shamu, whalers? Shamu is a whale.

Sunday Random Mask, Guess Who

Answer: Garth Snow

Hey! That Was My Idea!

The genius behind NHL Tournament of Logos and Tournament of Hockey Logos is at it again. But this time, I am especially excited for next tourney. After voting for the best NHL main, secondary, third, vintage, and worst logos, along with the best of the AHL and ECHL, he will attempt to take on the best mask in the NHL. Right now, the readers are attempting to narrow the competition down some. But when it starts expect (but don't hold me too it), my thoughts on each matchup, while giving my own top ten list (all-time). Lets get it on!

Oh, and I, in no way am mad at NHLTOL. I am glad that someone put this idea up, instead of being lazy.

Change of Pace (and Jersey)

I know its been a couple weeks, but better late than never. Anyway, the trade deadline is past and any mask lover knows that this is the time where you get to see a completely mismatched goalie. You see his jersey in one color and his pads and mask in another. Three goalies were traded at the deadline: Mike Smith (Dallas to Tampa), Johan Holmqvist (Tampa to Dallas), and Christobal Huet (Montreal to Washington).

Because it takes time to design and create a mask, it cannot simply be made in time for the next game. There are three choices when your are a goalie and you get traded.

1.) Wear the same mask.
This is what Smith did, with his Stars Mask. The result was strange.

1A) Spruce up your current mask with some stickers!
Huet went this route, turning this, into this (if you look closely, you can see a Caps sticker over the Habs logo on the chin). This change of jersey had no strange appearance. In fact they actually matched the jersey.

2.) Go Blank
This might be the smartest move. Why risk one of your teammates scoring on you (ahem, Nick Backstrom) because they see another logo. Martin Gerber went blank earlier this year.

2A) Go Blank....With Stickers!
Slightly more creative than the previous, but still, it is a blank helmet. Exhibit A: Johan Holmqvist: Before, After

Bad, Bad Idea

I know this is pretty old, but it does deal with the goalie position in hockey.
From TheStar.com:

Now a group of influential NHL players that includes New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, Dallas's Marty Turco, Detroit's Dominik Hasek and Edmonton's Dwayne Roloson want the league's – and inevitably the Leafs' – uniforms altered again. In what would be a radical overhaul that might incite hockey traditionalists but surely gratify some of the league's cash-strapped owners, several NHL goalies have asked the league and its players union to consider starting a so-called Goaltender's Club. Revenue-generating initiatives for the club could include placing a corporate logo on the jerseys of the league's 60-odd goalies.

Are they serious? Are the goalies of the NHL going to start looking like this, this, or this? I hope this is just an early April Fools Day joke, and when next season rolls along, no one will remember a thing.

TheStar.com
NHL Tournament of Logos