BEHIND THE MASKS

For years now, I have been enamored by goalie masks. From the crude fibreglass protective masks of the 60's and 70's to the intricate pieces of art today, I find the mask a very unique and interesting piece of sports history.



One of my goals with this blog is to further appreciate goalie masks. From the design standpoint as well as the historical standpoint. I think there are many stories of interest from the goalies and their masks.



When I was a kid growing up in the 80's, hockey cards never had closeups of masks on them. Goalies like Mike Liut, Michel Dion and Murray Bannerman had these gorgeous masks, but you'd be lucky to even get a card with them wearing a mask.



Today, goalie mask cards are much more common. To me, there will never be a shortage. I think they are some of the nicest cards out there. My one comment would be that I'd like to see more of the old vintage masks as opposed to the new guys.



Today's masks are incredible pieces of art. Often, they are so detailed, that seeing them from afar (in the stands during a game) makes the mask less impressive. I like being able to take a nice close look at the mask and really get an idea of what the theme is to it.



There have recently been books published on the history of masks and the subject tends to find it's way into discussions and news as they still remain a relevant topic.



In the next week or so, the 50th anniversary of the first mask worn on a regular basis in the NHL will be here. Jacques Plante was the innovator who introduced us to the piece of protective equipment. I'm sure there are many goalies today who are thankful for that.



After reading this post, take a moment to go back and really look at the masks in these cards. This is just a small sampling of the mask cards that I have and I will do my best to share more with you.



Do you have a favorite mask or mask card? If so, I'd like to hear about it.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and check out my blog. Although it's in its early stages, I am having a really good time putting it together.