It rode an Orca during Hedberg's time with the Vancouver Canucks, appeared as a cowboy during a season with the Dallas Stars, and was, at various points, Indiana Jones, a pirate, and SpongeBob SquarePants during four seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers. The moose had almost as many jobs as Hedberg in the NHL. The nickname stuck for the rest of Hedberg's career, as did a cartoon moose created by Swedish artist David Gunnarsson for Hedberg's masks. Fans chanted "Mooooose" after big saves while he led Pittsburgh to the Eastern Conference Final. Hedberg's baby blue Moose-themed mask made the transition from Winnipeg and stood out against the Penguins black-and-gold uniforms. Prior to the trade, Hedberg had been playing for the Manitoba Moose of the International Hockey League. Hedberg, now a goalie coach in the New Jersey Devils system, became known as "Moose" when he got his NHL break with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2001. "It becomes your identity to a certain degree," former goalie Johan Hedberg said.
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For some, it's the last bastion of individuality in pro sports.
#GOALIE MASK PLAIN CLIP ART PROFESSIONAL#
Through the years, masks have been used to convey everything from a goaltender's pop culture preferences to personal and professional tributes, including a few memorable nods to Cheevers.įor a lot of goalies, the mask became a calling card. "You could represent your team and be a little different than the logo on your sweater." "With Cheevers we saw an identity that was part of your personality," Garrett said. Garrett may have beaten Cheevers to the mask-decorating punch when he glued model airplane decals onto his RCAF Flyers mask as a 13-year-old playing in Trenton, Ontario but like so many other goalies of his era, Cheevers' stitches changed everything. He was saying, 'Guys don't realize how much I go through here every time I get hit, well, OK, that would have been five stitches.'" "I got to know Gerry and that was his personality. "They get more creative as the years go on, and I think it reflects the goalie's personality," said John Garrett, whose 15-year career included NHL stops with the Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks before turning to broadcasting in 1986. For 46 years, goalies have been filling it with every type of art imaginable, from rudimentary patterns to intricate shape-shifting holograms. Though the faces of goalies remained completely hidden behind the fiberglass masks of that era, Cheevers' magic-marker mask opened a door for their personalities to emerge on previously blank canvases. Hextall kept all his masks from 13 years in the NHL and has a few others in his collection. "When he started putting the stitches on people took note it wasn't just to protect your face," said Ron Hextall, a former NHL goalie and general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers. It also became a defining moment in the history of goalie masks, the spark for the seemingly endless artistic and personal expression by NHL goaltenders today.
The protest served as a stark visual reminder of the damage that could have been done without a mask. Before long, every inch was covered by angry black lines. Ordered back on the ice, Cheevers filed his protest first, having a trainer draw the representation of 10 stitches on his white mask where the puck struck him moments earlier.Įach time Cheevers took a puck to the mask thereafter, more stitches were added. He had retreated from the ice after being hit in the mask with a shot. Gerry Cheevers had no idea he was starting a movement during a non-descript practice in the late 1960s. © 2022 Cleveland Browns.A black felt pen wielded in protest is the root of the goalie mask design revolution which has changed the literal face of hockey.Īlmost 50 years later, goaltending masks have evolved into artistic storytelling of the highest order with colorful, intricate designs a seemingly mandatory part of every goaltender's wardrobe all the way down to the youth level.
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