RATE MY MASK - Antoine Bibeau

So the Christmas shopping is now complete and I am officially on "my time" for the next 2+ weeks.  Last night my nephew and I went to check out Star Wars: Rogue One and we both enjoyed it (although I think my nephew is past the Star Wars phase of his life....ugh).  This evening I've been organizing my iTunes while doing some custom work.  It's so enjoyable to not have a looming alarm clock to wake up to tomorrow.

Now, speaking of custom creations - and the creative process, how many of you like to listen to music while you delve into creativity?  I most certainly do and I pulled this disc out of the archives and loved every minute of it.

This quartet got together and called the creation "The Goat Rodeo Sessions".



Now I know it's a little "out there" for most....but that's part of what a goat rodeo is.  Yo-Yo Ma is just flat out a genius and Chris Thile on the mandolin is spectacular.  This quartet performed on PBS a number of years ago and it still sits on my pvr....it's fantastic.  The energy it gave me as I was working tonight was spot on.

Anyways....just had to share.  Now, on to some hockey stuff.

I've been meaning to draft this post up now for a couple weeks but you know me....procrastinator.  Who saw Leafs goalie Antoine Bibeau when he made his Toronto debut earlier this month?  Who noticed his goalie mask?

I most certainly did.

How could I miss it!!  It pays homage to one of the all-time great goalie masks not only in Maple Leafs history but NHL history - Felix Potvin.

The crown and chin of the mask are definitely taken from the iconic lid while the sides have a nice airbrushed pose of The Cat in his heyday.

When you compare the two photos you can really see the similarities.

Hate to say it, but the throat guard kind of gets in the way of the design.  Darn safety stuff.

Bibeau has dipped into Leafs goaltending history prior to this with tribute masks of Johnny Bower and Mike Palmateer, but this Potvin offering takes the prize.

Designed by Sylvie Poitras of Airbrush Zap, it's nice to see other mask designers get some NHL love.  Notice the fleur-de-lis (flower of the lily) on his backplate signifying Bibeau's heritage (and that of Potvin) along with the nickname "Bibs". I wonder if that is pronounced "bibs" or "beebs"?

The silver, white and blue is definitely a nice combination, suiting the current TML colours with the black outline producing a good punch for those admiring from a distance.

Bibeau had this mask done up prior to the start of the season with his farm team the Toronto Marlies.  But it wasn't until he was called up to the big club that most took notice of this great looking mask.

What I like about it is the simplicity.  Yes, I know it's just copying an old design so that's cheating, but when you look at masks these days and the complex designs, it's nice to see something that is so relaxing on the eyes.

There's good flow from the mask to the rest of the equipment and one can appreciate it from afar as well as up close.  Points for that.

When I did a Rate My Mask for the above Felix Potvin mask I gave it a 3.5 out of 5 which I still agree with to this day.  But wait for it....you might be surprised by my Bibeau ranking.

It really hits all the right notes for me and I think it's a breath of fresh air in this day and age of goalie masks.

4 out of 5

OK.....now it's your turn to RATE MY MASK!