NHL 100: A look at hockey’s masked men
In the geologic timeline of the NHL’s 100 years, the goalie mask is a somewhat recent artifact. Despite a brief flirtation in 1930, the league did not embrace safety face ware until 1959 and all goaltenders didn’t fully adopt it for more than a decade after that. Yet the mask itself has become an intriguing mix of art individuality and utilitarianism and an iconic symbol of the league itself.
In the latest edition of NHL 100, a weekly series from The Canadian Press, we look at some memorable masks.
AHEAD OF HIS TIME
Clint Benedict, the Montreal Maroons goalie, was the first in the NHL to take action as bigger, players, faster speeds and rising pucks began to take a toll on goalies’ teeth and faces. After a Howie Morenz shot shattered his cheek and nose, he returned to action weeks later, on Feb. 22, 1930, wearing a leather face guard, strapped on by wire, resembling the capital letter I, from forehead to chin. It reportedly obscured his vision so he didn’t stick with it. Lasting change would wait two more decades.