San Jose Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi has unveiled his special Stadium Series mask and it has an old-school touch to it.
The 31-year-old reached out to artist Dave Gunnarsson to create a homage to old-fashioned style masks that harken back to the days of Gerry Cheevers, and Jacques Plante.
Here’s what Gunnarsson said about his artwork:
Antti reached out to me to have his Stadium mask painted, he had a very cool idea and I loved it. He wanted to make the mask into an old school mask, with a very special paint job on it. It is the same paint job as Antti´s goalie coach had when he was a goalie. Now we just twisted it into a Sharks design.
Of course, Niemi isn’t the first person to incorporate this old-fashioned look, as former Boston Bruins goalie Steve Shields, Canadiens netminder Carey Price, and Kings goalie Jonathan Quick have all worn similar masks at some point during their careers.
Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price lets off steam during an outdoor practice for the NHL Heritage Classic in Calgary, Alta., Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011. (Jeff McIntosh/CP)
Boston Bruins goalie Steve Shields skates during warmups in a mask reminiscent of the mask worn by Bruins legend Gerry Cheevers prior to an intra-squad game in Salem, N.H., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002. (Charles Krupa/AP)
Jonathan Quick wears a mask in homage to former Los Angeles Kings goalie Rogie Vachon prior to the Vancouver Canucks’ 40th anniversary home opener in Oct. 2010. (InGoal Magazine)
To see if Niemi fully embraces the old-school look with brown pads, the Sharks’ Stadium Series game against the Los Angeles Kings is on Feb. 21 at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, Calif.
