Behind the Mask: Jordan Binnington the Gatekeeper

Take one look at Jordan Binnington’s new goalie mask and you might notice a common theme — it’s all about St. Louis.

There’s the Gateway Arch, of course, and the Budweiser Clydesdales. It also features the lions at the entrance to the Delmar Loop, and the fleur de lis that you see on the St. Louis flag.

But look a little deeper and you’ll uncover there’s a whole lot more to this design than first meets the eye.

Traditionally, Blues goaltenders have always had masks that pay homage to the city’s deep roots in blues music. Binnington’s masks have certainly done that — since he’s arrived in the NHL, nearly all of them have featured a Blue Note, piano keys, trumpets and other music notes of some kind.

But with this one, he wanted something deeper.

With the help of long-time mask designer David Gunnarsson and Blues Goalie Coach David Alexander, Binnington explores the concept of being a gatekeeper — a person responsible for guarding something important. In this case, it’s guarding his net, the city he loves and keeping opposing forces from penetrating both.

An intimidating-looking shadowed figure resembling the grim reaper — another type of gatekeeper — appears on the right side. The Delmar Loop Lions, featured on each side of the mask, serve as the gatekeepers to University City. It was E.G. Lewis, the original mayor and founder of University City, who decided that the lions would guard the entrance on Delmar Boulevard while perched atop 40-foot limestone pylons.

The Arch represents St. Louis as the gateway to the West. The Clydesdales, introduced at Anheuser-Busch to celebrate the end of prohibition, are one of the most recognizable icons in the city. And an ever-watchful owl, which often represent good vision and wisdom, symbolize how Binnington has grown and matured in the four years since his triumphant arrival that carried the Blues to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship in 2019.

Overall, it's quite a look — different from anything we've seen from Binnington before.

Here's hoping the opposition won't be getting much past this gatekeeper anytime soon.