| Goalie Mask |
Website Links For Goalie |
Information AboutGoalie Mask |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT GOALIE MASK | |
| ice hockey equipment | |
| canadian inventions | |
| protective gear | |
|
A goalie mask is a Mask worn by an Ice Hockey Goaltender to protect the Head from Injury . HISTORY The first mask was a crude leather model (Actually a football "noseguard") worn by Clint Benedict in the 1920s to protect his broken nose. 1 After recovering from the injury, he never used it again. Jacques Plante was the first to wear a mask full-time after being struck in the face with a puck during a game in 1959 . 2 Although he faced some derision, Plante's Fiberglass mask soon became the standard and a symbol of the game. This style of mask is no longer used by hockey leagues; yet its fame continues due to its continued use by horror icon Jason Voorhees of the '' Friday The 13th '' movie series. 3 Professional goalies no longer play without a mask. The last goalie not to wear a mask was Andy Brown, who last played in the NHL in the 1973-74 season. 4 TODAY Two kinds of goalie masks are currently in use. The first one is a simple helmet/cage combination made famous in the 1970's by Soviet goalie, Vladislav Tretyak . 5 It is not generally popular as there is perception by some that this type of mask cannot fully absorb high-speed slapshots (despite criticisms, the mask configuration is currently being used by Dominik HaĊĦek and Chris Osgood in the NHL). 67 After being traded to the Los Angeles Kings , Dan Cloutier temporarily switched to the more common close-fitting mask upon advice from the Kings citing safety reasons. The second one is a fiberglass mask with a cage attached in the middle. 8 The goalie mask can also be made out of Carbon Fibre (such as the Itech 9000), or a Fibreglass and Kevlar mix (such as the Itech 960). These masks are able to better withstand the impacts of hockey puck at higher speeds, and are generally used at major junior, college and professional levels. The back of the head is protected differently by each type of mask. The helmet/cage combos distribute impact throughout the mask since the back of the helmet is integral to the whole mask. Most helmets are player's helmets, which are two pieces screwed together. One piece fiberglass versions are now also available at a higher cost (and limited distribution), and this option is arguably the safest type of mask to use, because it has most of the benefits of each type of system. The fiberglass mask has a separate back plate which does not distribute the impact similarly. Fiberglass masks also do not handle side impacts as well, since the fiberglass shell will often resonate much like a bell. Fiberglass masks work best when the impact being absorbed is received square to the center of the mask. The fiberglass mask is the most popular one among goalies today. Due to the available surface area provided by fiberglass masks, goalies found it fashionable to give their mask distinctive decorations. This tradition started with the early 'Jason' style masks, most notably by Gerry Cheevers , who was known for drawing stitches on his mask whenever it got hit.9 These stitches represented where Cheevers would have been cut had he not been wearing his mask.10 The fiberglass helmets used in the helmet/cage combo masks also offer this advantage. These days, a goalie is well-identified with his helmet design, often transferring the motif into their new team's colors when traded or signed to a new team. One notable tribute goalie mask-a tribute to a 1970s movie about ice hockey-has lately been worn by Hannu Toivonen of the Boston Bruins , as it depicts the fanged Jolly Roger skull and crossbones mask artwork worn by fictional goalie 'Denis Lemieux' in the hockey movie ''Slap Shot'' . TYPES .]] With this type of mask three styles of cages are currently in use.
The advent of the goalie mask changed the way goaltenders play, allowing them to make more saves on their knees without fear of serious head or facial injuries. Before the advent of the mask, most goaltenders stayed standing as much as possible. In the modern era, a goaltender is likely to make the majority of saves when he (or she) has one or both knees on the ice. In recent years, Baseball Catcher s have begun to wear similar masks. The first such mask made its debut in 1996 by Charlie O'Brien who was playing with the Toronto Blue Jays at the time. BRANDS
REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|