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First Goaltender Mask
Elizabeth Graham, who at the time played for the Queen's University women's team, started wearing a fencing mask to protect her teeth while playing hockey. This is considered the very first goalie mask. -
First Leather Mask
After breaking his nose, Montreal Marroons goaltender Clint Benedict wore a crude leather face mask, also worn as an American football nose-guard to protect his broken nose. He wore this until his nose healed and then tossed it and never wore one again. -
First Olympics Goalie Mask
Teiji Honma wore a mask very similar to the ones baseball cathers wear. It was made of leather with a wire cage to protect his face. -
Fiberglass Mask
Jacques Plante, who was the Montreal Canadiens goaltender at the time, was struck in the face by a shot from Andy Bathgate from the opposing team, the New York Rangers. Normally coach Toe Blake didn't permit Plante to wear a mask in fear that it would obscure his view. Eventually he allowed him to wear it because Plante refused to play without it and there were no back-up goalies in the NHL in 1959. -
The first decorated goalie mask
Gerry Cheevers had the number one most recognizable goalie mask in hockey history. He had his trainor paint a stitch on his mask whenever a puck struck him in the face. He is considered the pioneer of goalie mask art. -
Modern day fiberglass mask
Dave Dyrden cut out a hole in the fiberglass mask and filled it with a cage to better protect his face. He is credited with making the first modern day design. -
New helmet-cage hybrid mask
To make a lighter helmet and to provide better vision, Vladislav Tretiak invented his helmet-cage hybrid mask. It was a regular helmet but with a full bird cage. -
Last game played without a mask
Andy Brown was the last NHL player to play without a mask. After his last game in the NHL he played without a mask in the WHE until 1977 with the Indianapolis Racers. -
Dominik Hasek
Dominik Hasek continued to wear the helmet-cage hybrid mask until his retirement in 2008. -
Chris Osgood
Chris Osgood continued to wear the helmet-cage hybrid mask until his retirement in 2011 with the Detroit Red Wings. -
Helmets take on artistic expression
Today fiberglass cage masks are the chosen type of mask. Companies are still trying to make the helmets safer and easier to use. The masks have become an art form. Some goalies make them personal like Steve Mason from the Philadelphia Flyers who put a picture of his English Bulldog George with the caption "Beware of bullies". (see picture)
