25 Themes We Would Love to See on NHL Goalie Masks

The NHL is full of colorful characters and goaltenders happen to be some of the league's most colorful individuals. Goaltenders are a team's last line of defense and the are identifiable by the mask they wear on their face.

There are a lot of different masks out there but here are 25 themes that fans would love to see on NHL goalie masks.

While this list is subjective, feel free to suggest your own designs below.

The Luchador

In professional wrestling, luchadores wear masks to honor their heritage because names often run in their family. Rey Mysterio is one of these luchadores who wears a mask to honor the history of wrestling in his family.

Goaltenders wear masks as well, so what would be cooler than merging the two concepts? Out of all the goaltenders in the NHL, the odds of one being a wrestling fan has to be pretty high.

Captain America

This image is a stock mask sold by Bauer. This happens to be the same mask I wear for hockey. However, no NHL goaltender has ever worn a design predominately featuring Captain America. This design would make sense for an American born goaltender like Ryan Miller or if the New York Rangers had an American starter.

Until one of those occurs, the fans will be deprived from seeing this sweet mask.

Iron Man

Sticking with The Avengers, this Iron Man mask is another design that would be awesome to see on the face of an NHL goalie. This mask would best fit a goaltender who is between the pipes game after game and a a goaltender who battles through injuries like a real ironman.

Of course, the goaltender would need to be on a team that sported these colors, but it is a mask that would really speak volumes depending on what goaltender was wearing it.

Wolverine

This is a mask that would work for a goaltender on the Boston Bruins because of the yellow and black color scheme. Wolverine is a member of the X-Men, and his mask could be made into a similar design that rivals the Iron Man and Captain America mask produced by Bauer.

With the right touch, this mask could be used in a killer design.

Stop Sign

The point of a goalie is to stop the puck because they are the team's last line of  defense. However, to my knowledge, there has not been a goaltender to wear a mask featuring a full fledged stop sign.

Stephen Valiquette once wore a mask that featured a stop sign on the back plate, but that is the closet a goaltender ever came to wearing a mask like that.

While it may be a simple design, it is a design that would make a lot of sense.

A Mirror Mask

When you think of goalie masks, often times a netminder features his team's logo, colors or a symbol associated with the team. However, a reflective mirror mask is a novel concept that would be interesting to see on a mask.

Just imagine a shooter is making his move in on the goaltender, all alone on a breakaway, and he takes a split second to look up and he is caught in his own reflection.

While a mask that cast a reflection may be deemed illegal, it is an interesting concept that fans would love to see.

Batman

The Caped Crusader is arguably one of the most famous individuals to wear a mask. Underneath the mask is Bruce Wayne, a Gotham City playboy, philanthropist, socialite and super genius. 

It would take an amazing goaltender to sport a mask that feature the cowl of the Caped Crusader, because wearing a mask like that could set big expectations. Batman is the savior of Gotham, and it is safe to say that a goaltender wearing this mask would be looked at as a savior as well.

Jason Vorhees

Jason Vorhees has worn one of the most memorable masks in the history of mask-wearing. His "hockey" mask splattered with blood was a terrifying sight for his victims throughout the ages, and it is surprising that a goaltender in the NHL hasn't styled a mask after Jason's.

It is a mask the fans would love to see, and it would make a lot of sense.

Abominable Snowman

Now this image may be a bit funny, but this concept could be altered to be a bit more menacing on a goaltender's mask, The Abominable Snowman is an urban legend and is described as a creature that is almost the size of Bigfoot.

If you took the face of the snowman and made it a bit more menacing, it could be a solid look for an NHL team who has the primary colors of white and blue.

Jonas Gustavsson used to be a Toronto Leafs netminder, and he is a goaltender that could have pulled this concept off.

RoboCop

This is another famous mask that would be interesting to see on a goaltender. Who wouldn't want to wear a mask that pays tribute to awesome the awesome cyborg RoboCop Alex Murphy?

This mask would be a great representation of a classic film, and it would be perfectly timed for the release of the RoboCop reboot that will be out in theaters in 2013.

Stormtrooper

Jonas Hiller wore an all black mask Darth Vader mask for the Anaheim Ducks, but no NHL goaltender has ever embraced the concept of wearing a Stormtrooper mask.

The Stormtrooper helmet is pretty awesome, and it is something that everyone can identify with. Of course, Darth Vader was the master of the operations, but he needed some dedicated Stormtroopers to stand by him.

Hanibal Lecter

Goaltenders are individuals who like to scare their opponents. Goalies do this because they want to psyche out opponents and get in their heads. If a shooter doesn't think they can score, a goaltender can find themselves having an easy night. 

What could be more scary and psychologically influential than the mask of psychotic doctor and serial killer Hannibal Lecter? With the right artist and adaptions, this mask could be pretty cool on the face of an NHL goaltender.

South Park's Kenny McCormick

Kenny McCormick from South Park always has his hood drawn over his face like this and it is like wearing a mask. Kenny's face has only been seen unhooded on a few occasions throughout the history of the show.

The Los Angeles Kings have a chant done on the Jumbotron by Eric Cartman, so an NHL and South Park connection could conceivably work for a goalie mask.

Wild Wing Mask

In the history of the Anaheim Ducks, there hasn't been a mask that adequately replicates the mask of Wild Wing from the Disney animated Mighty Ducks series.

This iconic mask is apart of how the Ducks became a franchise, so it would be cool for an Anaheim goalie to wear a mask similar to the one in this picture.

Venom

Stephen Valiquette famously donned a Spiderman mask during the time he tended goal for the New York Rangers. However, no one has ever worn a mask featuring Venom, one of Spidey's archenemies.

This shot is a good representation of Venom, and this image could really be used in a mask design that would look sharp and would invoke the fear of opposing shooters on the ice. 

Mr. Freeze

Mr. Freeze is one of better villains that Batman has come across through the age of comics. Mr. Freeze is the alias of Dr. Victor Fries, a scientist who has to wear a cold thermosuit after a cryogenics experiment went terribly wrong.

Freeze's helmet is not a mask like other villains, but elements of his headgear would really be cool to see on a mask.

Mankind

Mick Foley was a wrestler who wore many different "masks" throughout his time in the wrestling business. His most famous persona was Mankind, and he wore a leather mask as picture above. This mask is a pretty iconic image, especially when you consider that he wore this mask while he was thrown 20 feet off a cage during a Hell in a Cell match.

This mask has the potential to be featured on a goalie mask in a similar fashion to how Steve Shields overlaid an image of Gerry Cheevers' iconic mask on a mask of his own.

A Green Man Mask

I am surprised that a goaltender hasn't modeled a mask after the Vancouver Canucks' infamous Green Men. A mask like this could have the potential to pay tribute to the individuals or poke fun at them. 

No matter how you slice it, a goalie mask featuring one of the NHL's most iconic superfans would be a surefire success.

The Hulk

The Hulk is an iconic big man who you don't want to trifle with if he gets angry. His green face is a great symbol to use for a mask because it is colorful and there is a lot you can do with it.

You can depict the scowl of the Hulk right before he is about to pummel someone, or you can depict his beady eyes as a representation of the calm before the storm.

The possibilities are endless, and it is a design that fans would love to see on the mask of an NHL goaltender.

Predator Mask

This is the Predator mask from the film Alien vs. Predator. It is surprising that a goaltender from the Nashville Predators has not made a mask based off this menacing look, given the similarities.

The Predators are a team that want to be among the leaders of the Western Conference, and they want to be fierce in nature.

This mask is something that would really give off that impression if it was adapted and modified to fit the team's color scheme.

Two Face

This list may feature a fair share of Batman-related masks, but that is because there are some great untapped designs from that particular field. Two Face was once known as Harvey Dent, Gotham City's white knight and district attorney.

He was a man who was supposed to bring hope and change, but he was ultimately corrupted. His face paints an interesting picture, and the concept is very interesting.

A goaltender could choose to pay homage to the great villain by splitting a mask design down the middle or they could choose to put Dent's mug right on the mask.

Either way, this design is something that would look great on the ice.

Scream Mask

The cult classic Scream would provide an artist a solid base in which to create a very interesting goalie mask. The artist could decide to use the basic Scream mask, or they could go in a different direction by using the bloodier form of this face piece.

This mask is well-known and is very iconic, so the fans at home would be able to identify with this popular Halloween mask.

Stone Cold Steve Austin Mask

Stone Cold Steve Austin was one of the best wrestlers during the Attitude Era. He was brash, charismatic and had a way of getting over with the fans. He is often known for his skull logo which features two beady eyes.

This icon is very identifiable with even those who aren't wrestling fans, and that is a testament to how far-reaching his impact was.

An adaptation of this logo would really work and would be great with the fans.

EA Sports Tribute Mask

NHL 13 hits the shelves today, and tons of fans will spend countless hours playing the video game because it may be the only hockey played for a while.

The NHL has had a long-lasting relationship with EA Sports so it would be pretty cool to see a mask designed with some of the most classic images from the series. This NHL 94 screenshot would be a great starting point in order to create a mask that represents each game in the franchise.

David Puddy Tribute Mask

This is one of the most iconic scenes in the history of Seinfeld and it happens to feature the NHL. David Puddy goes all-out to support his New Jersey Devils during their playoff series against the New York Rangers, and when he encounters a priest, Puddy is enraged.

How great would it be for a New Jersey Devils goaltender to embrace the past colors of the franchise by using a green and red mask featuring Puddy's face in some way? It would be a nice, subtle pop culture reference that most hockey fans would be able to identify with.