I guess one of the main reasons I would like to have my goalie mask painted is for personalization. Goalie mask painting is more than just making the mask look good, it allows the goalie to express who he is, what his interests are and what means a lot to him. Mask painting can define what your character is like, how you want your teammates to view you or your general play style. Being 36, I grew up watching hockey when the masks really started taking off and evolving. I am a huge fan of goalie mask art and have a “hockey” room dedicated to 8×10 photos of the goalie mask evolution on my walls.

There is really no specific type of goalie mask art that I like. I have seen so many different designs and pictures that it would be extremely tough to choose. I have always been a big Grim Reaper fan as well as seen the full Indian headdress or the tribal art which I thought looked really good on some masks. Again, the possibilities are endless. This is an opportunity that allo
 ws a goalie to express who he is.

I currently play for four different teams. My main team is Coni-Marble which is part of the London East Oldtimers League (+35). The team is based in London, Ontario, Canada. The reason I’m calling this my main team is this league was the first to sign me up after being out of hockey for six years. I had knee surgery and ended up selling all my gear. The itch finally got to me and ended buying all new stuff in hopes to be back on the ice this year. It wasn’t looking too promising in September until I finally got the call saying one of the goalies will be out for a good portion of the season. Everything snowballed after that now I have more ice time than I know what to do with. It was a rough go at the start. I didn’t know how out of shape I had become until I first stepped on the ice. It’s a great league to play in with a good group all around. They have their own website and keep track of all the stats, scoring and standings. If you happen to take a peak at it, keep in mind that my GAA is not the greatest but neither is our GF’s. 

As far as my favourite brand of equipment goes, I am going to name one of the smaller companies and say XGS. I recently took a chance and bought their glove set. I am absolutely amazed at how light and well crafted this gear is. I am hoping these guys make a name for themselves because I cannot say enough about the equipment. These guys came from Vaughn, Eagle and TPS, so they know their gear. Being Canadian, I take pride in well-made goalie gear. I can’t wait to eventually get the pads. Another great Canadian company is Sportmask. I’m currently wearing their Ricochet model, all black of course which is why I’m entering in this contest . Here’s another group that take pride in what they make.