RATE MY MASK - Petr Mrazek

Petr Mrazek likes the show "Homeland".  He also likes "24" (one of my faves).  One show he's never watched though is "Family Guy".  So why does he have the lead character Peter Griffin slapped on the side of his mask?

It was a question that I did a little digging on....and as a result, came up with the most recent installment of Rate My Mask.

That.....and I just wanted to post a mask that had one of the most identifiable cartoon characters of a generation (and that's a sad commentary on society....but that's for another day).

The Czech-born netminder was drafted 141st overall in the 2010 Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings.  They have a way of picking very well deep into the draft.  He had fantastic junior career with the Ottawa 67's, posting a pair of 30-win seasons and was making waves with Detroit's farm team.

To me, he's best known as the top goalie at the 2012 World Junior Championship held in my home province.  Although he sported a record of 3-3, his 2.49 GAA and .928 SV% were tough to miss.  As was the 52-save performance in a 5-2 win over the USA.

So where does Peter Griffin come into play on all of this?

Well, I mentioned he had a strong showing on Detroit's farm team - the Grand Rapids Griffins - during the 2012/13 season.  He was expecting to play a bunch again on the farm this year.  So.....why not mash Peter (Petr) and Griffin (Grand Rapids) into one heck of a mask.

Even if it didn't really mean anything to Mrazek, just having this character on the side of his lid ripping open his suit to reveal his Superman outfit would get people's heads turning.

The bold red and white colors do a similar job of being bold and noticeable on the rest of his mask.

I feel like a lot of goalies are going this way these days.  Bold colors with strong lines.  A little hint of old school.

Designer Dave Gunnarsson (who does pretty much everyone's masks these days) airbrushed a nice, but safe, piece as he developed this look for Petr.

"He knew what he wanted on his mask, and with that name and that team name, he knew what would fit perfect on his mask.  I brainstormed some ideas and got started, and as you can see this mask has super powers."

Well, I don't know about that.  There's a lot more to a mask than just a Family Guy reference (points for that though).

In addition to Super Griffin, Mrazek's mask utilizes the Wings' logo along the bottom right down the jaw line.

Again, simple can sometimes work.  But I do think there's a little lacking here.  It feels just a bit too empty for my liking.

If you look closely, you can also see a subtle Griffin in the red of the mask.  This mythical creature has the body, tail and back legs of a lion with the head and wings of an eagle.

How many other uses of the word Griffin can be applied to this mask?

Ah yes, the striking Griffin shield on the top of the goalie mask.  Of course.

I'm waiting for RGIII to make an appearance on the backplate.

Speaking of backplates, you should check out Petr's from his junior days. One of the best ever.

Definite points for that.

All in all, the mask has some strong looks, but some definite weaknesses.  Kryptonite does Mrazek in.

2 out of 5


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