Everyone who follows the sport of hockey knows that goaltenders are a unique breed of hockey player. They often have whacky personalities and drastically different playing styles and it is perhaps because of that uniqueness that they are often among the most revered players in the game. Although there are many things that make a goaltender unique, one of the ways that goalies have been able to amplify their personalities on the ice over the years has been through the use of custom equipment.
Goaltenders can do things like decorate their pads in different ways, but it is the goalie mask where the custom designs from each goaltender usually truly shine. There have been some amazing masks over the years and just this week Montreal Canadiens star goaltender Carey Price revealed that he would be sporting a new mask for the 2021 regular season, and it is one that I think will rank right up there with the all time greats.
The mask was actually unveiled by the man who made it a reality, Jordon Bourgeault of JBo Airbrush, who published a video outlining the work he had put into the mask. As you will see in the short clip he published via his Instagram, Bourgeault put a painstaking amount of detail into the mask which features a huge number of tributes to Montreal Canadiens history. I'll let JBo give you all the details himself:
He's calling it a "Bio Mechanical skull goalie mask," and considering the design I think it's perfectly fitting. The overall theme of the mask is clearly meant to invoke images of a cyborg of some type, the message being that Carey Price is no mere human. If you would like to take a closer look at some of the finer details on the mask, you can also check out some still images of all the angles of the mask in the gallery below:
I personally think the mask is a beautiful piece of art and the reaction thus far to the reveal has been very positive. If there have been any complaints from fans it is that the mask does not showcase the Habs colors prominently enough, but it is nonetheless one hell of a mask.
Let us know your thoughts on Price's new mask.
