Weekes: Joseph, Belfour, Moog among best masks

NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes, in conjunction with the new Canada Post goaltender stamp series, provides his insight into the position he played for 11 seasons in the League.

This week, Weekes discusses the best goalie masks he's seen, past or present.

Not only did the mask that Montreal Canadiens goalie Jacques Plante wore in 1959 protect his face, it paved the way for goalie masks, which have become an iconic part of our game.

Plante was the first goalie to wear a mask, although it was quite plain. Each mask is a great canvas and an opportunity for a goalie to be able to show their artistic and creative sides in some ways that are personal to them.

Goalies have put their spins on different designs, whether it was a play on their nickname or had something to do with the team they were playing for, and there have been tons of great masks over the past 60-plus seasons.

Here's a look at my favorite ones:

Ed Belfour, Dallas Stars

Nicknamed "The Eagle" by former coach Mike Keenan after he saw the eagle on his mask, Belfour had outstanding vision and always locked in to opposing shooters. Whether it was with the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars or Florida Panthers, the Eagle mask was always a staple of Belfour's and one of the most iconic masks of all-time.

Curtis Joseph, St. Louis Blues

It was only natural that Joseph, nicknamed "Cujo" would have the rabid dog from the Stephen King novel of the same name on his helmet. With razor-sharp teeth at the top and bottom of the mask and a menacing face surrounding it, you can bet this mask scared some opposing shooters as much as the novel scared many readers. Joseph also had another mask during his time in St. Louis which paid tribute to the Blues' logo which had trumpets and musical notes on it.

Murray Bannerman, Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks goalie in the 1980s had a mask which looked like Jason from the "Friday the 13th" films, but was also adorned with the Blackhawks logo and some Native American symbols. The contrasting styles of those two things made this mask an interesting one.

Andy Moog, Boston Bruins

Similar to Curtis Joseph's mask, Moog had a bear mask when he was with the Boston Bruins, but it wasn't a friendly-looking bear. In addition to the bear's snarl that surrounded the top and bottom of the mask, it also had piercing eyes.

Kelly Hrudey, Los Angeles Kings

In my opinion, this was one of the most underrated masks. When he spent time with the Los Angeles Kings, his mask had the "Hollywood" sign across the top with film strip going around the sides and bottom, and had stars, a la the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Gilles Gratton, New York Rangers

Gratton's mask was one of the fiercest. Not only did it cover his whole face (minus his eyes), but the mask, which featured a tiger, even covered his mouth so opposing skaters were staring at an intense looking tiger.

Grant Fuhr, Edmonton Oilers

Fuhr has a mask similar to Bannerman's. It had the same basic look up front, except Fuhr's was painted with orange and blue to match the colors of the Oilers. The mask may have been rather simple, but nothing about the way Fuhr played was. He finished with 403 wins, five Stanley Cup championships and an induction in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens are an Original Six team and have a rich history and tradition. Roy's mask fit right in; it wasn't flashy. It was mostly red, matching Montreal's away uniform at the time, with two Canadiens logos on it. One was at the top of the mask, the other was under his chin.

Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres

Miller had the same basic mask throughout his 11 seasons in Buffalo, although it changed with the team's uniforms and color scheme. It was that of a giant charging Buffalo at the top that was black and red to match Buffalo's uniforms before it went to blue, yellow and white. There were also two crossing sabres at the bottom.

Mike Richter and Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

Richter, a career Ranger, helped them end 54 years of frustration with a Stanley Cup championship in 1994, which he has and will continued to be remembered for. I played in New York and I know how much the fans respect him for how hard he battled every night. His mask was simple; it had the Statue of Liberty across the top and was red, white and blue.

Lundqvist has had many masks throughout the years, but my favorite had the Statue of Liberty on each side with the city skyline on the back of the helmet.

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils

Winningest goalie of all-time, whose mask didn't change all that much throughout his 20-plus seasons in Jersey. It had flames on the side, and a 'J' with devil horns and tail taken from their logo on the top.

Felix Potvin, Toronto Maple Leafs

Known as 'Felix the Cat,' his mask wasn't very detailed but still made a strong impression. At the top of the mask was a ferocious looking cat-like creature with has an open mouth extending to the bottom. And of course, there was a picture of 'Felix the Cat' on the back.