Sports

24 hockey goalie masks inspired by music

by Mark Teo

From Darren McCarty’s band to Boyd Devereaux’s label—ahem, his shockingly good label—hockey players have a long-standing relationship with music. Even if most claim they listen to country, there have always been musical outliers: Swedish goalie prospect Mark Owuya briefly attempted a rap career as Mark in Da Park. Buffalo Sabres winger Drew Stafford has been known to hang out with metalcore heavyweights Every Time I Die. Bruins ‘tender Tuuka Rask counts Sonata Arctica and Children of Bodom among his favourite bands. And Toronto Maple Leafs centre Tyler Bozak is infamously a giant Justin Bieber fan.

Still, on the ice, most players don’t get to rep for their favourite bands. Not so for goalies. And that’s because the pillowed protectors of the pipes (or, according to Joe Bowen, the “flag men of the flying rubber”) have a long tradition of customizing their masks. We’ve seen everyone from Ned Flanders on a Montreal Canadiens mask and Alfred E. Neuman appear on an Ottawa Senators helmet, but our favourite customizations are, of course, music-related. Check the gallery above for our favourite music-inspired lids—and check In Goal Mag for even more examples.