Goaltender mask

[3] In 1930, the first crude leather model of the mask (actually an American football "nose-guard") was worn by Clint Benedict to protect his broken nose.

At the 1936 Winter Olympics, Japanese ice hockey goaltender Teiji Honma wore a crude mask, similar to the one worn by baseball catchers.

[5] Plante had previously worn his mask in practice, but head coach Toe Blake refused to allow him to wear it in a game, fearing it would inhibit his vision.

[1] The face-hugging fiberglass, the type which was worn first by Jacques Plante, is a longtime symbol of ice hockey as typified by the famous painting At the Crease, by Ken Danby.

[10] Cheevers adopted the "stitch mask" as his own,[11] and went on to set an NHL record (which still stands) of 32-straight wins during the Bruins' 1971–72 season.

[14] Casey Jones from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise also wears a stylized version of the mask, as did D-Roc the Executioner, the late guitarist of the heavy metal band Body Count.

He was particularly notable for wearing it during the 1972 Summit Series, which exposed the "bird-cage" style mask to Canadian hockey fans and players.

Dan Cloutier switched from this type of mask to the more popular full fiberglass citing safety reasons upon the advice of the Los Angeles Kings.

[16] Following Clint Malarchuk's life-threatening injury in 1989, more goaltender masks have adopted a plastic extension to guard the neck, usually hanging loose for more maneuverability.

On March 4, 2014, Tim Thomas took the ice for the Florida Panthers wearing an old Cooper helmet painted dark blue with a modern Bauer cage and white Itech neck guard attached.

[17] Goaltenders at lower levels of hockey (such as high-school, college or recreational leagues) who choose to use this design cite reasons such as the plastic helmet used is lighter than the fiberglass or composite materials used in other designs, and that the helmet has a wider opening than a traditional mask for a less claustrophobic feeling and better sight of the puck.

[18] Brian Heaton, designer of the Cooper Canada HM30 cage and HM40 for forward players, inspired the basis for all cats-eye bars, (a.k.a.

In recent years, baseball catchers have begun wearing facemasks similar in style to goaltender masks.

Charlie O'Brien was the first to use a hockey-style catcher's mask in a Major League Baseball game in 1996 while playing for the Toronto Blue Jays.