Behind the Goalie Mask: The Top 5 NHL Goalie Masks of the Season
- Mayline Ruiz
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
San Jose, CA. — In the sports world, it can be difficult for some players to show off their creativity. Some baseball players get to wear decorative gloves, and soccer players wear breathtaking cleats. However, hockey players, specifically goalies, get the coolest opportunity. They get to choose a design for their mask. With all of these insane goalie masks, let’s pick the top 5 of this NHL season.
In no particular order,
Jake Oettinger
Jake Oettinger debuted one of the best masks toward the end of the season, and it deserves some recognition. Dave Gunnarsson, known as DaveArt, created an incredible look for Oettinger’s playoff goalie mask. While it may look simple to the naked eye, different symbolisms make it stand out. Oettinger’s mask predominantly utilizes green and white, making it stand out. In the mask, we can see some cowboys playing a poker game. Cowboys are typically associated with Texas, which pays homage to the beautiful state, and we see the Dallas Stars logo beside it. Right by the helmet cage, we see Dallas written in bold with silver as well as the #29 on the bottom, representing his number. At the top of the helmet, there’s the Dallas Stars logo, but it’s styled as if it were a Sheriff's badge. The last insane design on his mask is the otter riding a bull. It’s creative and it shows off his nickname, Otter, and a popular sport in Texas, bull riding.
Thatcher Demko
Easily one of the best goalie masks this season was Thatcher Demko, which was created by Travis Michael. Starting off strong with Johnny Canuck, an iconic Canadian cartoon character and staple to the Vancouver Canucks, but in Demko’s mask, he’s a zombie. On the top part, Canucks is written out in their bold signature color green, but part of the wording is covered in ice. It gives off this feeling as if the Canucks is breaking out of the ice. On the bottom of the mask, we see one of the three different logo’s the Canucks use which is the stick in the rink. The mask also includes the words Vancouver in the shape of a V. One of the last designs that is worth mentioning is the back part of the mask. There are different Canucks players jerseys such as Stan Smyl and there is also a little kid, who we can assume is Demko in a Roberto Luongo jersey, looking up to these great players. At the bottom, we see he paid homage to Matthew Gaudreau and Johnny Gaudreau, who passed away in August 2024.
Jakub Dobeš
Dobeš’s mask uses a great incorporation of the team's colors to create something different. Dobeš worked with Sylvie Marsolais, known as sylabrush on Instagram. The most captivating part of the mask is the wolf on the top. The wolf’s showing off its fangs and glowing eyes. He includes his nickname, Doby, on the chin with bold blue letters that look like ice. My favorite part of the mask is the addition of the Canadiens logo on the side. Dobeš also puts the Maple Leaf on each side of the mask, and in one of them, it says CAC, which is the Canadian Athletic Club. Moving toward the back of the helmet, he incorporates the Bell Centre arena song, “Olé, Olé, Olé.” There is also the word win on the back, along with a tribute to Johnny Gaudreau. While it may look simple from an outsider’s perspective, the mask is creative and helps encapsulate Canadian pride.
Yaroslav Askarov
Now, this might be a controversial one, but Yaroslav Askarov’s goalie mask is another favorite. This goalie mask was created by Dave Gunnarsson, known as DaveArt. The mask is filled with teal and is split in two, one side teal and the other side white. In big, bold teal letters, we see the word Sharks on the side with the Sharks' logo on the top of the helmet, biting a stick. On the other side of the mask, we see the word Sharks again, but this time in white. Right in the middle, Askarov’s nickname, Ask, is placed in cursive. The helmet also has different water bubbles that are spread sporadically through the mask. While it looks simple compared to other helmets, I think it’s timeless.
Marc-André Fleury
Last but not least, we’ve got Marc-André Fleury. The goalie mask was created by Stéphane Bergeron, known as Griff Airbrush. For his mask, he remained in touch with Minnesotan roots. Starting strong, we’ve got a wild beast on the top of the helmet. What drew me immediately to this mask was the mouth, with the teeth at the top and bottom of the helmet, enclosing his face. It gives off a more dramatic and beast-like vibe to the mask. He includes small trees in the background that represent the wildlife in Minnesota. Most importantly, on both sides of the mask, Fleury includes different Minnesota teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota United FC, and the Minnesota Twins. While Fleury’s nickname is Flower, he also incorporates flowers on his mask as his way of honoring his wife, who is Native American.
It’s safe to say that each goalie has the amazing opportunity to get to work with talented artists every season. Getting to look at the masks and dissect each design is what makes looking at goalie masks so cool! Do you think there should’ve been another goalie on the list? Which one is your favorite goalie mask? Let me know!