TOP 5 GOALIE MASKS OF ALL-TIME

In recent years, NHL goalies have taken mask art to a whole new level. Gone are the days of the single colored helmet; now goaltenders, even backups, have crazy designs painted on their masks, often with a theme pertaining to their team, location, or birth place. Here are my five favorite goalie masks of all-time.

5. Jaroslav Halak- Montreal Canadiens
This one has it all. A scary demon covering most of the top, with former Montreal great Patrick Roy hoisting the Stanley Cup to the side. A sweet looking mask with a reference to the Canadiens' past, plus the flag of his native Slovakia put Halak onto the list.
4. Stephane Fiset- Quebec Nordiques
The wall of ice design worn by former Quebec Nordiques goalie Stephane Fiset looks awesome. It's menacing, yet fitting for the netminder of a team that's name literally means "people from the north." Just like the mask shows, Fiset was a wall in net for Quebec.
3. Antero Nittymaki- Philadelphia Flyers
The gangster design on Nittymaki's mask comes from his original nickname, Nitty. When head coach Ken Hitchcock called him Frank, after gangster Frank Nitti, a front man in Al Capone's mob, the idea came together. The bullet holes make for a really nice design.
2. Vesa Toskala- Toronto Maple Leafs
Toskala's skull design is pretty bad-ass. I especially like the black background and the glowing blue eyes, which fit in perfectly with the rest of Toronto's color scheme. Toskala had a similar mask during his time in San Jose but with eyes befitting of the Sharks jerseys.
1. Gerry Cheevers- Boston Bruins
Former B's goaltender Gerry Cheevers takes the top spot for his famous "stitched" design. After Cheevers was hit in the face during a practice, the head trainer jokingly drew a stitch mark on his mask. Each time he was hit from then on garnered a new stitch mark, and the rest is history. I also really like Steve Shields' tribute to Cheevers during his stint with the Bruins.