Ahh.. the goalie mask. An integral part of both safety, and childhood inspiration. A lot of kids became or are goalies now due to the iconic stature of some of the masked men we’re going to be celebrating today. This list is in no particular order, i’m just going to list my top ten goalie masks.
Now, i can’t do a list like this without several missing goalies. So i’m going to list them now.
*Grant Fuhr
The last goalie to wear what i’m going to be nicknaming the “Jason Voorhees” style of goalie mask before they fell out of vogue.
*Dominik Hasek
The dominator did everything else in goal differently. So it only seems fitting that he have one of the more strange masks out there during his playing days.
*Jacques Plante
My last honorable mention goes of course to the man who made the goalie mask mainstream.
Top 10 NHL Goalie Masks of All-Time
10 Edward Belfour
Sorry Stars fans, it may be a bit of hometown bias but i have to go with the original Eagle mask for Eddie Belfour. Yes i know he won the cup in the green and gold (sorry Sabres fans) but this mask is still sensational as he was in net. No matter where it went, Eddie the eagle has a look that was simple, timeless, and just plain cool. I plan on getting some roller skates soon and if at all possible i plan on stitching an eagle on each skate.
9 Olaf Kolzig
GOJIRA! GOJIRA! Oh wait it’s just Olaf Kolzig, false alarm everybody! Many Capitals fans remember his heroic goaltending in 1998 that got the franchise to its first stanley cup final. And a memorable goalie deserves a memorable mask. Olie had a rather feisty nature and it was exemplified when some of his teammates nicknamed him Godzilla (to our japanese readers i apologize, i mean Gojira) and in a show of both a good sense of humor and great artwork, he adopted it into his mask.
By the way, can we start a campaign to bring back the screaming eagle capitals jerseys? They were awesome.
8 John Vanbiesbrouck
Talk about a design that gets right to the point. John Vanbiesbrouck mask is just a panther growling. Although the league has made some questionable decisions in its efforts to expand (more on that later.) Beezer did get the panthers’ mask tradition off to a great start. Brian Heyward did something similar when he played for San Jose, so of course the trend went around the league. But Beezer gets the nod here.
7 Curtis Joseph
Although this wasn’t the first mask Curtis Joseph wore, Cujo had an awesome look, and much like some of his contemporaries it looked awesome no matter what colors it was done in.
Cujo may be one of the greatest goalies to never win Lord Stanley’s magnificent cup, but his mask should go down forever as one of the best.
6 Nikolai Khabibulin
The Bulin’ Wall had an awesome mask. Although it was on some horrible teams (Mid to late 2000’s Oilers i’m looking at you) and like a lot of great mask designs, it looks great no matter where he played. The wall’s look has stood the test of time, unlike the one that was in his homeland.
5 Marty Turco
Maybe i’ve been watching way too many reruns of Gargoyles, but Marty Turco’s mask is just awesome. The Gargoyles symbolically represent his protection of the net and they look awesome in stars colors. Hopefully this makes up for me neglecting another former Star’s netminders’ mask.
4 Chris Osgood
Osgood makes this list because much like his former teammate Dominik Hasek he has a very unique mask design. Not the painted on design that’s pretty standard for Red Wings netminders, but the mask itself. No one in the league had a mask that was set up like Ozzie, it looks more like a football helmet than a mask, so for its unique layout it deserves recognition.
3 Martin Brodeur
Like a lot of masks that have gone on to be revered in the Annals of history, Marty Brodeur had a simple design. It’s just flames going up either side with the Devils logo on top. But for his and it’s longevity, The former face of the Devils deserves the nod here.
2 Ben Bishop
Boy, did this mask fit the team he broke into the league with perfectly. Although his stars mask is great by itself, Ben Bishop’s mask with the Lightning is by far the best. The glow in the dark motif fit the team perfectly and was near iconic because of it.
1 Jonathan Quick
Jonathan Quick is one of the cornerstones of the L.A. Kings, and as such his mask has an almost Royally intimidating feel to it. Almost as if it along with the man himself in the playoffs is a living thing with Ice in its veins. The 2012 Conn Smythe winner’s mask more than likely will be in the hall of fame one day, just like his number will hang from the rafters at the staples center when it’s all said and done.
Like i said before, this list wasnt done in any real order. But if you feel there’s a mask i missed feel free to tweet me @Nero_Alucard or @LWOsports. With all of that being said, i hope you enjoyed this article and feel free to check back again ASAP hockey fans!
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