The Meaning Behind Sorokin and Rittich’s Goalie Masks

A goalie’s mask is a pure form of expression.

It’s artwork that can convey personality for any netminder, plus they can hide a few Easter eggs in the design, typically a meaningful symbol they’ve carried with them throughout their careers.

Get a closer look behind the masks of Islanders netminders Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich, as the tandem explained the meaning behind the artwork that they’ve been sporting this season.

SOROKIN’S HOMETOWN ROOTS

The look and feel of Sorokin’s mask is simple - a physical neon outline of Long Island on both sides of his mask . “New York” stands out in the electric blue background and a silver “Islanders” runs across the top.

“I like the simple map of Long Island and the New York Islanders logo,” Sorokin said.

His new home is sported proudly on the front and sides of his mask, while he keeps a logo of his hometown,Mezhdurechensk, on the back. Next to it is the town of Novokuznetsk, where he lived from ages 12-19 when he began his career in juniors, eventually getting promoted to the KHL.

SOROKIN’S INSPIRATIONAL SONG LYRIC

A simple song lyric can go a long way in terms of giving Sorokin an extra boost between the pipes.

The title of the song “I Believe I Can Fly” from the 1996 movie Space Jam is on the back of his mask, which is a song that he has listened to for years back home in Russia.

The song lyric has traveled far and everywhere with Sorokin since 2014, as he’s kept it somewhere on his mask for over a decade.

“Every mask I had since I was drafted this [lyric],” Sorokin said. “I like the song, I like the phrase.”

HOME AND ROAD

Rittich sports two different masks, one for home games and another for the road.

The home version is prominently electric blue – featuring the Isles fisherman on the left side - while the road edition has more orange and white, which Rittich says complements the home and away jerseys.

Both have his number 33 on the chin, with the home version in classic lettering while the road mask sports 33 in a scripted font.

RITTICH’S SIMPSONS INCLUSION

Rittich was a huge fan of The Simpsons as a kid and it became a staple on his goalie masks.

Homer Simpson was always included somehow, even if it wasn’t visible or obvious to his teammates and fans. For his first season with the Islanders, he wanted Homer to be a bold inclusion – an avid fan of fishing, Rittich made sure Homer fit in with the Islanders’ fisherman theme, outfitting him in a teal slicker, a la the fisherman logo.

“This one you can really see it,” Rittich said. “I love fishing, so it fits with our logo. It works for me, we just added the Simpsons on the boat.”

Rittich first included The Simpsons in his mask ahead of the 2013-14 season, his third season for the HC Dukla Jihlava in Czechia juniors.

The fun addition that was originally intended for one season quickly became a staple after Rittich went on to have a solid season, posting a 29-12-0 record (2.07 GAA, .927 SV% and four shutouts) followed by a playoff run where Rittich recorded a .936 SV%, a 2.11 GAA and two shutouts through nine games. The Simpsons inclusion stuck from there – 13 years and counting.

“I watched The Simpsons when I was a kid and never thought about putting them on a mask,” Rittich said. “But in juniors I did it and had a really good year, so I spoke to my friends, and they said you got to keep it going.”

A SHOUTOUT TO DAVEART

The mastermind behind Sorokin and Rittich’s mask is David Gunnarsson, better known as DaveArt.

Each mask requires a lot of time and attention, as well as back-and-forth between himself and the player to achieve the desired look. Sorokin has worked with Gunnarsson for years, while Rittich has been going to Gunnarsson ever since he came overseas.

“It’s always fun with him,” Rittich said. “Obviously he’s one of the best.”