Two Words: Awesome Ness

Sorry for three straight posts mentioning Carey Price, but this is just so amazing.
Habs Inside/Out has an article and several pictures of the Montreal goalie wearing some Jacques Plante era equipment, including a replica mask.

"But the mask … now this is something truly special.

Price cradles the replica of the fibreglass mask Canadiens legend Jacques Plante wore into a game for the first time on Nov. 1, 1959, forever changing the face of goaltending. He rolls it around in his hands, studying every bump and scratch, then wrestles it on, adjusting the elastic straps before rapping his knuckles against his cheek and wincing at the impact of just that."

The full article can be found here, and the full gallery of photos is here.

The Coverboy

I got home a couple of weeks ago, and was pleasantly surprised at the latest ESPN the mag in the mailbox. Carey Price in all of his glory. Hockey is rare enough on sports magazine covers, but hockey goalies are even rarer.
Anywho, ESPN had a video of the photo shoot (below), and included this beauty in the article.

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