Examining Greatness of Steve Mason's Zombie Mask

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Steve Mason has become known for his interesting and unique helmet designs, but his latest mask featuring teammates portrayed as zombies could be the best to date.

The Flyers officially revealed the mask on Instagram:

The mask features Philadelphia forwards Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds and Scott Hartnell as zombified players still in uniform. While Giroux, Voracek and Simmonds are easily identifiable, the only way to tell that the most gruesome of the zombies is Hartnell is by the number on his helmet.   

Mason told Adam Kimelman of NHL.com about asking his teammates for permission:

"

I thought of a couple guys to put on there, some of the guys I'll hang around with away from the rink more often. I asked for their permission. I didn't want to make them a zombie without their permission, but I'm sure they're pumped to see the final product. I just flat-out told them, ‘Would you want to be on a helmet? You're going to get a lot of airtime. At the end of the day you'll probably look better as a zombie than you do in real life.

"

As great as the helmet is, Mason has also taken his love of zombies to his stick as well:

This is not Mason’s first venture into zombie helmets, either. Earlier this season, he revealed a helmet comprised of the founding fathers of the United States as the undead as well.

Mason’s excitement over the helmet comes on the heels of a new three-year contract extension the goaltender signed with the franchise worth $12.3 million. The 25-year-old veteran is looking for stability, and the contract with Philadelphia will be his chance to build a rhythm with a franchise.

While the zombie helmet looks incredible, Mason’s play has been anything but elite. He has been pulled early from three starts already in January and has let in three or more goals in all but two games to start 2014.

Hopefully the new helmet will be a remedy for his recent struggles. The Flyers need Mason to thrive if they want to reach the postseason and make a deep run at a championship.

*All stats via NHL.com.

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