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The
Making of the Mask
by
Rick Welch
The Goaltender:
The armored knight who stands in battle during the toughest competition,
the last line of defense and the mysterious man behind "The Mask".
Playing goal
is an art form — a position of skill, athleticism, timing, positioning
and mastery. And now, through the graphical talents of an airbrush artist,
the personalities of the goaltender are at the forefront of their mystique.
Today there
are many manufacturers of fine head equipment for goaltenders as well
as artists who paint them. However, before I introduce the main ingredients
of this article, please understand that the main purpose of a goalie mask
is first — protection and secondly — comfort.
Back some
thirty plus years ago; goaltenders were all grins and toothless smiles
as they actually saw the puck coming at them, head on, without any such
protection. Goaltenders being openly exposed to a puck I’m sure left
its mark in more ways then one.
With the
advent of the slapshot and curved sticks; and players getting bigger,
faster and stronger, the need for protection was apparent. Out of necessity
the goalie mask was invented.
Though very
archaic in design and composition, it was the introduction of how the
goaltender came across and his personality expressed. The mask was part
of his persona, what makes one individual stand out from the rest.
Thus, the
making of the mask — that is the Gerry Cheevers mask — reincarnated.
Cheevers (to Bruins Fans aka "Cheesy"), the undisputable heavyweight
champion of goaltenders, was the goalie who had the most distinctive goalie
mask on the planet. The stitches on his plain white mask become his trademark.
It was the epitome of the position, knowing that when he took a puck to
the face another stitch mark would appear. The Hall of Famer, through
his style of play and artistic approach, has brought the concept of graphic
design on the goaltender mask through the ages.
Now to the
present; Goaltender Steve Shields (acquired from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks
by the Bruins over the summer) is literally faced with his first challenge
moving to a new team — what design does he put on his mask?
Like getting
a tattoo, the design on a goalie mask leaves a lasting impression to the
fans, to the players and in the hockey history books. Steve Shields turned
to his long time mask designer and graphic artist Todd Miska of Miska
Designs. Steve actually gave Todd two different tasks: first, to come
up with his first game debut mask concept and secondly, to design a game
mask for the rest of the season. Both of them decided that a tribute to
Gerry Cheevers, as an explosive idea, would be the debut mask honoring
one of the greatest goaltenders to reach the shores of Boston. Now it
was up to Todd Miska to make the concept a reality.
Steve Shields
has been using goalie masks from Warwick Custom Goalie Masks for years.
The same prototype of his previous mask was shipped out to Todd Miska’s
design shop. The mask was sent without the front cage and interior padding
so that once the custom painting was completed, those features could be
added last.
Todd analyzed
and conceptualized many pictures of the Cheevers mask, which he needed
to transfer to the latest mask style. The goaltender mask of the present
has a front cage unlike the "flush to the face" mask of old
with cutout eye and breathing holes.
With Steve’s
acceptance, Todd added the full head expression, from the multi stitched
Cheevers mask down to the ears and hair. Step one for Todd was to prime
the rough fiberglass and Kevlar shell with an epoxy primer. Todd then
used a grease pencil to outline the design on the mask shell. Once the
designs took shape and were completed to Todd’s satisfaction, airbrushing
of the base was completed using all the colors that make up the Cheevers
mask, skin tones and hair colors. Todd then painted the right half to
the left half (with help from a mirror) using the oil base Pantone colors
and a permanent marker.
Once this
crucial phase was completed, the mask is clear-coated with 6-8 layers
of a poly-based finish. It is then allowed to sit and harden. The next
step was for the mask to be wet sanded and buffed to reveal the final
finished product. The mask was packed and shipped back to Gary Warwick
at Warwick Custom Goalie Masks where the high-impact, insulated rubber
padding, pro cage, chin cup, screw fixtures and the back plate harness
were added. The finished mask was then shipped off to Steve Shields awaiting
his highly anticipated conversational piece.
With Steve
Shields sharing in the netminding duties at The FleetCenter, the torch
has been passed from a Boston legend of Bruins and the legacy of Bruins
goaltending lives on. And deeply etched in our memories of the great Gerry
Cheevers days of old, the mask we all know so well will once again be
the talk of the town.
Please visit
www.thehockeymagazine.net for more in-depth
information, pictures and links on goalie masks and to see the Steve Shield’s
2002-2003 Season Bruins Mask.
Rick Welch
is the Web Site/IT Director for The Hockey Magazine. You can e-mail him
at rwelch@thehockeymagazine.net
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