Goaltender Jacques Plante took a puck to the face off the stick of Andy Bathgate during a 1959 game between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers. Plante designed a mask he'd been wearing in practice but as the story goes, coach Toe Blake refused to let him come back into the game wearing it. Having taken several stitches, Plante said he wouldn't return to the game without it. Blake had no choice but to relent or forfeit the game.
The 'Goalie Mask' art poster series was inspired by our admiration (or amazement) of those before Plante that stood in the net with no face protection. The early era of masks, particularly those of the 1970s, became the personal hallmarks of each goalie and established the modern-day tradition of personalizing masks.
Design Features
Replica photo illustration of Ken Dryden's 1979 mask and design
QUALITY
Individually printed to order on heavy, satin photo paper using a large format, 9-colour ink process
Museum-quality (Giclée) inks and paper guaranteed not to fade or yellow for 200 years
