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Greatest Masks of All-Time
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Hockey’s Superheroes
It took me three games in net, as a seven-year-old, to realize it takes an exceptional breed of human being to want to carve a niche as a hockey goaltender. Back in 1972-73, I won my first two outings and was riding a glorious high…until I got shelled in the third contest, a playoff game we eventually lost in overtime. I was crushed and permanently traded in my pads and gloves for a more anonymous spot on the blueline. The experience gave me a tremendous appreciation for puck-stoppers, a respect that has grown over the years as I’ve become more intimate with the game and witnessed various acts of bravery. In many respects, hockey’s masked men are the closest things professional sports has to real-life superheroes. Game-in, game-out, they are the last line…
Up against a Bulin Wall
CAREER FILE Nikolai Khabibulin AGE 35 GP 636 W-L 274-259 SO 38 GAA 2.69 SP .908 Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Cristobal Huet isn’t into making personal statements when it comes to his mask. So the mask the Frenchman will don in his first season with the Hawks won’t differ much from what he had in previous NHL stops in Montreal and Washington – splashy colors, albeit with an emphasis on his new team, including feathers and the logo. “Some guys like it to be more personal, but I like it to be more about the team,” Huet said. “You’ll see, but it’s probably the Indian head. A headband with feathers and the logo will fall down from the side. Just the style will be different from what I’ve had.” Huet, entering his fifth full NHL season, also plans to have his uniform No.…
Beware of wet cat
CAREER FILE Dan Ellis AGE 28 GP 45 W-L 24-10 SO 6 GAA 2.36 SP .923 Both Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne wear masks with designs representing a combination of their backgrounds, team and the city of Nashville. Ellis’ mask features a pair of Predators tigers – one on each side. One is a strong, muscular beast and the other looks like a wet cat, which is what captain Jason Arnott jokingly said Ellis looks like after a tough game. The tigers are looking out over a simulation of downtown Nashville, which will include some of Music City’s honky-tonk bars. Ellis said he’s also thinking about adding some snow flurries to the helmet, representing an important moment in his career. It was a Milwaukee snowstorm late last season that delayed Rinne’s flight to Nashville, allowing Ellis the start in which he…
Saluting courage
CAREER FILE Manny Legace AGE 35 GP 308 W-L 164-83 SO 23 GAA 2.31 SP .914 Blues goaltender Manny Legace says the masks of today are “too cluttered.” He prefers the plain white masks of past eras or the simple designs, such as the ‘stitches’ mask worn by Gerry Cheevers. But since the trend in the NHL is to cover every inch in fancy art, Legace has chosen to dedicate the space on his mask to the people he feels deserve it the most. Soldiers of war, firefighters and policemen who responded to emergency calls on Sept. 11, 2001, a pink breast cancer ribbon (Legace’s mom is a cancer survivor) and the numbers of former Blues greats adorn his mask. “It’s a tribute to everybody,” Legace said. “It’s a little part of everything that means something to me.” The top features…
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