The Arrival of Goalie Mask Art

The first ever-recorded goalie mask to be worn inthe idea that he has for his mask. He usually gets the
the NHL was sported by Montreal Canadianartist's opinion, and perhaps some suggestions. In
goaltender Jacques Plante on November 1st, 1959.general, masks feature certain elements regarding
The mask was plain and simple as Plante's solethe goaltender's team, such as team colors, logos,
purpose for wearing it was to protect himself fromand the team's home base. Once the whole concept
injury. The first net-minder to decorate his mask wasis in place, the artist will begin to work on the goalie's
Gerry Cheevers, who had stitch marks painted on itmask.
for every time he was struck in the face with a puckGoalie mask artists start by stripping away any paint
or a stick. That was in 1970, and perhaps his intentionon the mask, and cleaning its surface thoroughly. A
was to send an important message.base coat of white primer is then applied. The artist
The Artists behind the Goalie Maskwill sketch the agreed-upon art design across the
As time went on, goalies became more creative withentire mask, and then the airbrushing follows. This
their headgear. The very first artistic mask made itsstep requires skill, precision, and a vast amount of
debut in 1974 when Pittsburgh Penguin goalie Jimpatience. The mask then needs to be clear-coated
Rutherford got in between the pipes wearing aand baked to ensure that the paint will not chip when
powder blue mask. From that game on, goalie maskthe flying pucks hit it. The helmet is wet-sanded and
art took off to new levels, and designs are now anpolished to a mirror-like finish that is durable and
interesting and significant feature of everyattractive. Generally speaking, the whole process will
goaltender's gear. However, today it is not thetake 20 to 30 hours, but can entail up to 60 hours if
goalies that create the designs for their masks, but ait involves an elaborate design. The cost of goalie
group of very talented artists. They are the onesmask art can range anywhere between $800 and
who can skillfully transform a goaltender's fantasy$2,000.
into reality.Hurray for Individuality
Artist Greg Harrison paved the way for future goalieThe theme that a goaltender chooses for a goalie
mask artists when he began designing headgear formask most often represents his character and
goaltenders in the NHL. In fact, by the late 1970s,personal taste. Of course, designs are somewhat
nearly 80% of NHL goaltenders wore Harrisonlimited - not just anything can be put on the mask.
designs. Today, much more detail goes into goalieThere are particular rules to adhere to. The goalies
mask art. Modern artists go to great lengths toare not allowed to advertise products or services on
capture the specific and unique features requestedtheir masks, nor can they display anything that could
by the goaltender. There are several artists involvedbe considered politically incorrect, in poor taste, or
in goalie mask art, but two of the most popular onesoffensive to the public. Goalie mask art is important
that the professional hockey players go to are Frankto goaltenders today because they get to express
Cirpa and Todd Miska. They have created thethemselves not only as an athlete, but also as an
designs on the masks of legendary goaltenders suchindividual. So, a special thank you goes to the
as Ed Belfour, Manny Fernandez, and Grant Fuhr.talented artists out there who provide us with unique
How is a Goalie Mask Born?and entertaining goalie masks.
Although various artists work on goalie masks, most"I will get a painted mask, because the design on
of them create their designs in the same way.your mask is like part of your soul.
Typically, a goalie will approach the artist to discuss