The development of the netminder mask over the years and the increase in protection for the goalies that has gone along with this is all well and good but to be honest, a little dry! My interest lies in the designs they have had added to them - each one, a unique piece of art. And, just as the safety aspects of the masks has developed over the years so has the intricacy and detail on the designs painted on them - just compare Frank Pietrangelo’s Penguins mask with the one Johan Hedberg is wearing now (see links below) and this becomes very obvious. While most of the designs are related to the team’s logo and colours there are some netminders, most notably Curtis Joseph and Ed belfour (in the NHL), that have a personal design on them, regardless of which team they are playing for - for Belfour this is an Eagle and for CuJo, a wild dog’s face. |