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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.
Dark Lord of the Sens
CAREER FILE Martin Gerber AGE 34 GP 200 W-L 100-64 SO 9 GAA 2.60 PCT .911 Who is that masked man? None other than Martin Gerber. “We’re working on a few things,” said the Ottawa Senators top goaltender on the eve of the season. While most goalies pride themselves on having a stylized paint job, the Senators netminder opened new doors last season when he showed up at training camp wearing a plain black mask which appeared to be some sort of protest because he’d asked to be dealt after losing his job to Ray Emery. No way, said Gerber, a new look was on the way. After getting the top job back when Emery decided he no longer needed to work to be a No. 1 goalie, Gerber looked like he was trying to set some sort of trend in the net. A…
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.…
First instincts
Judging art is about as meaningful as measuring air: You’re never going to get an accurate assessment and the guy next to you will have a completely difference answer. So rather than ask our 30 correspondents what they think are the best goalie masks of all time, we asked them to identify their three favorite pieces of headwear. We didn’t provide a list of the most popular masks, instead letting their immediate reactions rule. The results were both expected and shocking. We suspected the famous Gerry Cheevers stitches mask would finish high, but were shocked by the huge margin of victory. Here are the results, based on a points system of 10 for first place, five for second place and three for third place. It’s interesting to note that most of the names on…
MASK MAKING 101
There’s a lot more that goes into each NHL goalie mask than just a little bit of paint. It’s obvious, even to those unfamiliar with the game, that NHL goaltenders all have custom-painted masks. What’s not so apparent is that every goaltender in the NHL – and almost every goalie at any professional level – has his masks custom fitted. Gary Warwick of Warwick Mask Company in Port Huron, Mich., and Todd Miska of Miska Designs in Stacy, Minn., are two leaders in the mask-designing industry. Both have worked on hundreds of masks for pro goaltenders during their careers. Warwick does the dirty work molding and constructing masks, while Miska specializes in paint magic. The final product is what we see on the ice every night in the NHL. But THN wondered how the…
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