What kind of pop psychology statements can be made about paintings on hockey goal keeper masks?
Today is the 50th anniversary of Jacques Plante strapping on a goalie mask in a game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, which is remembered by Stan Fischler in a Hockey News piece. The commemoration has given us some really inspired looks at goalie masks, from Stu Hackel’s in-depth piece on Plante for the New York Times to Elliotte Friedman’s Inside Hockey report about mask painting on “Hockey Night in Canada” to TSN’s amusing fan vote on the best mask in the NHL today. It’s worthy celebration, because the goalie mask is fascinating aspect of hockey culture that has — like hat-tricks and slap-shots — seeped into different genres of popular culture. But that doesn’t even begin to mine the depths of the goalie mask’s peculiar juxtaposition with the sport from which it was born. Its existence is a fascinating contrast with the established doctrines and perceptions of professional hockey, and flies in the face of those of professional sports as well. From the moment P
But masks don’t look like shoulder pads or shin guards or anything other piece of equipment that serves to protect. Over the years, they’ve become personalized statements of artistry. They reveal something psychologically about the man behind the mask, whether it’s Vesa Toskala’s desire to be ferocious or Martin Brodeur’s conservative understatement or Ray Emery’s love of pugilism. In the case of Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings, his no-frills mask reflects his flash-less, blue collar approach. Like a tattoo or a sticker on a car, they tell us everything from a players’ attitude to his pop culture preferences: Kari Lehtonen’s Heath Ledger-as-the-Joker, Patrick Lalime’s Marvin the Martian and Steve Valiquette’s Spider-Man tributes immediately come to mind. Sources: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/pos
