A goalie & her mark.  The art of keeping one's head.

By Brian Sylvester
For Hipcheck: Volume 1, Issue 6
November/December 1998

When goalie masks made their debut many years ago, they were crudely
crafted, loosely held together with heavy gauge thread and looked like a
prop out of Hollywood's Silence of the Lambs.

Leather contraptions with a football and boxing heritage, the early
masks did little more than distribute the pain from a hard shot
throughout the goalie's head albeit saving a nasty scar.

But today's masks are an integral part of a goaltender's protective gear
and their bright colors and clever designs also bring revealing faces to
otherwise faceless players.

Hockey masks are featured in television commercials, on the covers of
magazines and have even been adopted by some baseball catchers. And
while safety remains the primary reason for wearing a mask the artful
headgear goalies hide behind now boldly speak of their personality.

"It can often tell you more about the person than the goalie," says
Manon Rheaume, who has two Team Canada masks on display at the Hockey
Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Stanford University Cardinal goalie, Sami Joe Small, who was recently
selected to Canada's entry bound for the Three Nations Cup in Finland,
agrees that a goalie's mask is a statement of her character.

"I have been wanting to change (mask design)," shares Small, a
mechanical engineering student who painted her own mask. "But I have
been wary of that because it's something that is uniquely you."

"If someone changes the design of their mask, you start to wonder who
they are," says Marlene Ross, a professional mask artist from
Brockville, Ont., who has painted masks for Rheaume and numerous NHL
backstops.

While many goalies choose to design their masks by creative wizards like
Ross and others opt to keep their masks as clean as when they were
picked off the shelf, many netminders prefer a balance between the two
extremes.

Keely Brown, of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, decorates her
mask with simple stickers.  The emblems, having straightforward
girl-power and patriotic slogans, speak volumes about the player beneath
the cage, and hint at what she holds close to her heart.

"Growing up I was mesmerized by goalie masks," says Small, who has faced
Brown on the roller hockey circuit. "I made my own street hockey mask
with wire and cardboard and if you got hit in the face, it would hurt
but you still looked cool.

"Sometimes (the mask) would break, but I would just put it back together
with some masking tape."

But when frozen rubber discs are blasted at your head and eager forwards
rush the net with sticks held high, cardboard and wire simply will not
do.

To truly give the best protection for goalies, modern masks consist of
rock-hard materials such as kevlar, graphite, high carbon-fiber and
fiberglass. Manufacturers use composites of these materials as part of a
lighter-is-better philosophy, but the ultra-light technology comes at a
price. A new mask can cost as much as $1000, while the average price is
approximately $500 for something that is light, durable and provides
good protection to the owner.

Sean Price, Director of Operations at Women's Hockey International in   
Toronto, advises parents and players daily on which masks provide the
best protection. He believes that safety should never be sacrificed, no
matter how great the savings.

"You want to protect your child's head and that's the number one thing,"
says Price. "It's not so much about how much (a mask) costs, but it's
how it fits and how durable it's going to be on the person we are
selling it to."

Several years ago Rheaume was playing in a major junior hockey game for
Trois-Rivieres in the Quebec league, when a slapshot broke her mask and
cut her above the eye. She did not realize the extent of the damage
until the blood from her eyebrow revealed the injury.

"It was scary," recalls Rheaume, who would never want to re-live the
experience.

"You don't want something for $100 that will fall apart if it gets hit,"
adds Small. "You have to be confident in your mask."

According to Price, fit and comfort in your mask are key. And while
trying to break it in, goalies should not be surprised that it takes at
least two weeks to have it feel fully comfortable.

"It shouldn't be too tight at the front and should provide good vision,"
says Price. "You want all sides (of the mask) touching the head ... but
a lot of it is preference."

From providing protection to making a statement, goalie masks are now an
indelible part of hockey culture. They help hide a goalie's emotions
after letting in an overtime goal and bring attention to those daring
enough to adorn them with outrageous markings.

In the end, the mask has become more than just another piece of
equipment - it is the most recognized icon for greatest game on the
planet.

Try one on!

Brian Sylvester is a freelance sports writer in North York, Ont.

Hipcheck, Volume 1, Issue 6, November/December 1998