Ever because the NHL mandated masks on goaltenders, goalies have been determining methods to customise them. Jacques Plante helped design his personal masks that grew to become the very first one worn in an NHL sport, Gerry Cheevers put a sew on his white face defend on the spot he obtained hit, and Doug Favell grew to become the primary to color his masks when he threw some orange stripes on his white masks whereas enjoying with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Now, the disclosing of a brand new masks design is a marquee occasion. Goalies and artists work collectively to create the right mixture of participant and group, and in 2024-25, there is probably not a greater instance of that then Linus Ullmark‘s new masks for the Ottawa Senators. Working alongside artist Dave Fried, who’s labored with a number of Senators’ goalies, he got here up with a option to not solely honour his Swedish heritage but in addition the nice goalies who got here earlier than him in Ottawa.
Ullmark’s arrival was already an thrilling occasion, however seeing his masks draw on so many components acquainted to Senators’ followers will certainly make him one of the crucial well-liked goalies in Ottawa in years. So let’s take a deeper look into the masks that impressed his new design and the way these components join again to a wealthy tableau of goalie masks although Senators’ historical past.
Hasek’s Easy-But-Iconic Birdcage
Of the three masks Ullmark talked about, Dominik Hasek‘s inclusion appears a bit misplaced. In any case, it’s only a purple cage with two slightly-altered Senators’ logos on the edges. However, typically, there’s a magnificence in simplicity, and that’s what this masks nails. Paradoxically, it was one of the crucial detailed masks that he wore in his profession. Earlier than arriving in Ottawa in 2004, ‘The Dominator’ wore a generic cage masks with some small adornments. With the Buffalo Sabres, he wore a black masks with only a small brand on the entrance. However when he went to the Detroit Crimson Wings, he plastered two massive winged wheels on both aspect of a purple masks. Sadly, he and his iconic masks solely performed 43 video games for Ottawa earlier than returning to Detroit in 2006.
Fee Dominik Hasek’s Ottawa Senators Model ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/pUExwJ5qPf
— Missin Curfew (@MissinCurfew) January 15, 2023
Whereas most goalies embody their group’s brand someplace on their masks, Hasek was one of many few Senators at that time to function simply the brand. The primary to do it was Daniel Berthiaume, who joined the group of their inaugural season and had a easy black masks with simply two small logos on both aspect. However few have caught with simply the brand. Ron Tugnutt had a splatter design he took with him to a number of groups and simply added logos on high of, making a enjoyable mixture. There was additionally Jani Hurme’s brand surrounded by fireplace, Robin Lehner’s two-tone brand, and Ben Bishop’s greyscale model.
It’s additionally been frequent in current seasons, with Matt Murray choosing a primarily white masks that prominently featured logos on both aspect and rookies Leevi Merilainen and Kevin Mandolese going for less complicated designs that showcased the Senators’ centurion. However nobody fairly did it in addition to Hasek. It’s doubtless why Ullmark sees it as top-of-the-line masks in Senators’ historical past, though it helps that’s was a particular cage masks as an alternative of the standard design.
Anderson Beloved a Throwback
Craig Anderson used quite a few masks designs throughout his 10 seasons with the membership. A few of his first designs featured automobiles because of his love of racing and a number of other centurions impressed by the “Rat Fink” artwork model created by Ed Roth. However in 2016, he unveiled a throwback masks that featured one of the crucial distinguished buildings in Ottawa — the Peace Tower — that lies within the centre of the Parliament buildings.
There’s greater than meets the attention with Craig Anderson’s new throwback masks. pic.twitter.com/8Yc6wQwm37
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 17, 2016
Whereas the masks additionally options Marvin the Martian within the background together with different cool options, the first design is a direct reference to the masks Damian Rhodes wore throughout his stint with the Senators. Nonetheless, his design was simply an up to date model of Don Beaupre’s masks that featured all of the Parliament buildings and a single maple leaf within the background, (when Beaupre was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs within the deal that introduced Rhodes to Ottawa, the design went with him.) Rhodes borrowed the design, however restricted the buildings to only the Peace Tower and added two maple leaves on both aspect, giving the masks a extra balanced look. It didn’t damage that he was far more profitable in Ottawa, too, posting profitable data in 1997-98 and 1998-99 earlier than becoming a member of the Atlanta Thrashers.
Associated: The ten Coolest Outdated Faculty NHL Goalie Masks
Rhodes (and Beaupre) weren’t the one masks Anderson known as again to together with his personal designs. For the 2016-17 Heritage Traditional, he referenced the unique Senators’ championships with Clint Benedict, the Senators’ goalie within the Twenties and one of many first goalies to ever put on a masks in an NHL sport. Anderson additionally used the unique ‘O’ brand on a number of events and honoured the late Bryan Murray on one other. His creativity and connection to the group’s historical past, each official and unofficial, served as an inspiration for Ullmark as he created his personal for his first season in Ottawa.
Marvin the Martian and a Bunch of Centurions
Whereas the Senators have had many effectively designed masks, none can high Patrick Lalime‘s Marvin the Martian, which is why Ullmark selected it for his main inspiration. The creation of the masks was an ideal storm; Lalime had already proven his affinity for utilizing cartoon characters throughout his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, when he featured a penguin breaking out of the ice. So, when he was acquired by the Senators, he opted for the Looney Tunes character as a result of it already wore the Roman god Mars’ helmet, which seems much like the Senators’ centurion. Thus, an icon was born, and Lalime would carry Marvin with him for the remainder of his profession.
A few different goalies have referenced the Martian of their masks earlier than Ullmark, most notably Joonas Korpisalo, who tucked a bit of Martian on both aspect of his shiny centurion helmet, and each Anton Forsberg and Mads Sogaard shared Lalime’s love of cartoons by including cartoon canines carrying Roman legionnaire uniforms. Nonetheless, most goalies who journey by Ottawa draw on the centurion imagery, resulting in many attention-grabbing designs.
It began again with Peter Sidorkiewicz, who the Senators chosen within the 1992 Growth Draft. He wore a cage for many of his profession with the Hartford Whalers, and when he first arrived in Ottawa, he simply modified the inexperienced to white. However earlier than lengthy, he opted for the normal masks with a golden centurion’s visor above the eyes. The masks grew to become an immediate traditional and despite the fact that Sidorkiewicz didn’t stick round lengthy, his hanging masks did when Craig Billington, who took over the Senators’ crease, copied a lot of the masks. Martin Prusek took it in a special route; as an alternative of the Roman helmet, he encircled his birdcage with the Roman Colosseum.
Following Lalime’s departure, many goalies put their very own spin on a Roman helmet. Alex Auld up to date Sidorkiewicz and Billington’s designs, making the helmet embody extra of the masks, and Chris Driedger took it one other step additional, including a cranium beneath the helm. Pascal Leclaire positioned a mean-looking legionnaire on his, however on the again, he added Snoopy in goalie gear, connecting again to Lalime’s cartoons. Mike Morrison put a enjoyable spin on the Roman angle with a crest displaying the phrases, “Veni Vidi Vici,” a Latin phrase attributed to Julius Caesar which means, “I got here, I noticed, I conquered.” An incredible motto for a goalie, however not a lot for Morrison, who performed simply 4 video games in Ottawa, profitable one in every of them.
Extra Inspiration for the Future
There are lots of extra traditional masks that would function inspiration for future masks. Martin Gerber leaned into his nickname “Darth Gerber” and turned his goalie masks into Darth Vader’s helmet, as did Andrew Hammond, who put the McDonald’s Hamburgler on his masks. Ray Emery featured the boxer Muhammad Ali because of his penchant for preventing, and regardless of his quick keep, Cam Talbot had a number of masks that featured the Demogorgon and Vecna from Stranger Issues and Deadpool from the Marvel universe. May extra of those spectacular masks present up sooner or later? It’s robust to foretell what’s going to resonate with a goalie, however for now, followers are simply completely happy to see Marvin in objective once more.
