PANTHER MASK
New Mask
In the early 90's, I was looking for a new mask. I had not been playing goal for very long on ice and had been using a helmet and cage combo (the popular Cooper SK2000 and Cooper HM30 cats eye cage). I had purchased an Itech goalie mask at a local sports store. Unfortunately, I could not get used to the fit as it was too tight in the cheek area. So much that I carved out pieces of the protective foam to allow my cheeks to fit a bit better. A good friend of mine told me about a mask maker in Bolton. I decided to call them up and dropped in for a chat. Upon walking in to the shop there were many masks on display in their entrance room. Upon closer look, they were old masks from Ron Hextall, Grant Fuhr and other NHL goalies. Some were autographed. I was greeted by Jerry Wright. At that time he was one of the leading mask makers. His business, Wright Design, was making masks under the Itech label. More than half of NHL goalies in the early 90's were wearing Itech masks.
I described my issue and he proceeded to lead me over to a bin of mask shells. I tried on a few and found one that fit really well. When I removed it, it had the name 'Rick Tabaracci' written on a piece of masking tape stuck on the forehead of the mask. How cool was this that I was trying on NHL goalie, Rick Tabaracci's mask! Jerry made a note that the chin was too long for me and said he'll shave off a bit (he noted the exact measurement but I cannot recall). I cannot remember exactly but I do not remember it being long at all that my mask was ready. I went back to pick it up and was blown away at how meticulous he was at ensuring the mask was adjusted correctly and it fit me properly. He added foam in a couple of spots and made some other adjustments. It fit perfect!
Paint Theme
After playing with a plain white mask for a while, I thought it would be great to have it painted. One of the fellow's I played hockey with had a neighbour who did air brush painting on the side. I met up with Mike Droesto and his price was affordable.
I really liked the basic design where the opening for the face is the mouth of an animal. There were a few goalies at that time that had this concept. Curtis Joseph's dogs on the various masks he had were great and my prime examples. Ron Hextall with his polar bear Quebec Nordiques mask and Brian Haywards San Jose Sharks masks were a couple of others. At that time, Grant Fuhr was playing for the Leafs and had a black panther on the forehead of his mask. I wanted something that was my own and not copy the dog, bear, shark or whatever.
The Design
I wanted a mask featuring a head like Curtis Joseph's but make mine a black panther's head like the one on Grant Fuhr's Maple Leaf mask. Since I did not play for a team and was playing pickup, I just wanted it to match my basic equipment colours of black and white.
The mask would be black to match the black panther's colour. He made the eyes yellow and made the highlights of the fur a dark blue. This looked fantastic! I played a couple of years with this but the blue colour highlights were kind of bothering me. So, I returned to Mike and asked him if we could change blues in the highlights to greys and silvers. He did this and also changed the eyes to a cool green colour.
This gave the mask a whole new look. I went on to play with this mask for a total of around 20 years. I had replaced the straps, cage, and chin cup a few times over the years but it was well used. So much, that I had not realized how hard the padding had become. The fit was great and the mask protected me from numerous shots to the head. It was the start of my admiration of Jerry Wright's work.
New Mask
In the early 90's, I was looking for a new mask. I had not been playing goal for very long on ice and had been using a helmet and cage combo (the popular Cooper SK2000 and Cooper HM30 cats eye cage). I had purchased an Itech goalie mask at a local sports store. Unfortunately, I could not get used to the fit as it was too tight in the cheek area. So much that I carved out pieces of the protective foam to allow my cheeks to fit a bit better. A good friend of mine told me about a mask maker in Bolton. I decided to call them up and dropped in for a chat. Upon walking in to the shop there were many masks on display in their entrance room. Upon closer look, they were old masks from Ron Hextall, Grant Fuhr and other NHL goalies. Some were autographed. I was greeted by Jerry Wright. At that time he was one of the leading mask makers. His business, Wright Design, was making masks under the Itech label. More than half of NHL goalies in the early 90's were wearing Itech masks.
I described my issue and he proceeded to lead me over to a bin of mask shells. I tried on a few and found one that fit really well. When I removed it, it had the name 'Rick Tabaracci' written on a piece of masking tape stuck on the forehead of the mask. How cool was this that I was trying on NHL goalie, Rick Tabaracci's mask! Jerry made a note that the chin was too long for me and said he'll shave off a bit (he noted the exact measurement but I cannot recall). I cannot remember exactly but I do not remember it being long at all that my mask was ready. I went back to pick it up and was blown away at how meticulous he was at ensuring the mask was adjusted correctly and it fit me properly. He added foam in a couple of spots and made some other adjustments. It fit perfect!
Paint Theme
After playing with a plain white mask for a while, I thought it would be great to have it painted. One of the fellow's I played hockey with had a neighbour who did air brush painting on the side. I met up with Mike Droesto and his price was affordable.
I really liked the basic design where the opening for the face is the mouth of an animal. There were a few goalies at that time that had this concept. Curtis Joseph's dogs on the various masks he had were great and my prime examples. Ron Hextall with his polar bear Quebec Nordiques mask and Brian Haywards San Jose Sharks masks were a couple of others. At that time, Grant Fuhr was playing for the Leafs and had a black panther on the forehead of his mask. I wanted something that was my own and not copy the dog, bear, shark or whatever.
The Design
I wanted a mask featuring a head like Curtis Joseph's but make mine a black panther's head like the one on Grant Fuhr's Maple Leaf mask. Since I did not play for a team and was playing pickup, I just wanted it to match my basic equipment colours of black and white.
The mask would be black to match the black panther's colour. He made the eyes yellow and made the highlights of the fur a dark blue. This looked fantastic! I played a couple of years with this but the blue colour highlights were kind of bothering me. So, I returned to Mike and asked him if we could change blues in the highlights to greys and silvers. He did this and also changed the eyes to a cool green colour.
This gave the mask a whole new look. I went on to play with this mask for a total of around 20 years. I had replaced the straps, cage, and chin cup a few times over the years but it was well used. So much, that I had not realized how hard the padding had become. The fit was great and the mask protected me from numerous shots to the head. It was the start of my admiration of Jerry Wright's work.
