Inside the Isles New Iron Man Postgame Locker Room Award

Superhero play is going to be appropriately rewarded in the New York Islanders locker room this season.

A shiny gold – and wearable - Iron Man helmet made its official debut after the Islanders’ 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. It was a surprise to most of the team – Captain Anders Lee made the big reveal, pulling the superhero prop out that garnered laughs and cheers from the room.

“I don’t know if it’s going to fit,” Lee joked before awarding the first-time distinction to Bo Horvat, who led the team with his second career hat trick.

The sleek, futuristic-looking piece of armor covers the entire head and face and features glowing blue slits in the front for eyes. Horvat confirmed that it is possible to see out of it, but said the fit is pretty snug.

"It barely fit my head," Horvat said with a laugh.

Teams across the NHL embrace the tradition of an over-the-top postgame prop for team morale after a win, and Isles are excited to roll with the Iron Man theme this season. The origin? A little bit of online inspiration and ideating that have been in the works since training camp.

"We saw a clip of someone else having one of those things and thought it was cool,” Lee said. “Nothing more to it other than we thought it was awesome. Picked one up for ourselves. We have to figure out how to use it properly, we'll get there but it's a fun little thing to do after the game."

It’s a high-end, functional, remote-controlled helmet with more tech than their previous props, which included a WWE belt and a rubber chicken in recent years. The mask is digitized and retracts in the front.

"It's a legit helmet, it's movie-quality,” Lee said.

"It's way cooler when it pops up," Horvat quipped.

Not only is the presentation of the helmet a moment of its own, but the recipient gets to have a moment in the room to say a few words to the group, which brings the locker room together in celebration.

“Winning’s fun, you get a second to come into the room and spend a couple minutes with just the guys in here,” Kyle Palmieri said. “It’s a good tradition.”

The previous game’s recipient has the honor of passing it on – which Horvat was thrilled to do.

"It's pretty cool, it's a fun little thing we do after the game," Horvat said.

Horvat got to pass it out after the very next game – a 5-4 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday - for their second straight win and first road win of the season. The alternate captain gave it to Lee for his two-goal game.

It’s fitting that the captain and the alternate captain were the first to have the honor. Now, the Islanders will have the whole season to carry on the tradition.

"If it fits Bo and I's head, it'll fit everyone else's,” Lee said with a laugh. “We're pretty good in that spot."