5 MORE NHL PREDICTIONS

The majority of NHL teams have played 69-70 of their 82 regular season games for the year. With that said, here are five more predictions for the rest of the NHL season. Who will make the playoffs? Who will be left out in the cold? We'll find out in the days and weeks ahead. Here are a few things we might see before the season ends in mid-April.

5. The Hurricanes will not make the playoffs
Carolina had been playing great since dealing for old friend Erik Cole. But they have struggled recently, losing three straight on the road in Chicago, Dallas, and Washington. The 'Canes remaining schedule is a difficult one, with games against the Rangers, Penguins, and three games against a very strong New Jersey club. Even the Islanders, who Carolina faces twice, are playing well. It's gonna be tough for Carolina to sneak into the postseason with a schedule that tough.

4. The Devils will reach the Eastern Conference Finals
Yes, they are that good. With Martin Brodeur back, New Jersey is probably the best team in the Conference. They are clearly better than Washington, and Boston has been struggling mightily as of late. The Devils are a pretty safe bet to win at least two rounds, even if they are the most boring, trap-filled two rounds in the playoffs.

3. Columbus will shock some people
The Jackets--currently 6th in the Western Conference--are a solid, scrappy team and might surprise a few people come playoff time. They are a solid 7-7-1 against the Central division, which includes Detroit and Chicago, so they can win against good teams. Antoine Vermette, acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline, has been fantastic for the Blue Jackets in his brief stay in Columbus, and if Steve Mason is playing well anything can happen.

2. Nashville will miss the playoffs
The Preds, currently the 9th place team in the west but tied with 8th place Edmonton (73 points), won't make the postseason because they can't win on the road. They have 5 home games and 8 road games left on the schedule, which is a big problem considering they are 13-18-2 away from the Sommet Center this season. With two games at Detroit, and one at Chicago and San Jose, the Predators will be left out in the cold once again.

1. We will have a new Stanley Cup Champion
Detroit simply doesn't have the goaltending this season to hoist Lord Stanley's cup once again. Chris Osgood looks old and Ty Conklin isn't that number one that's going to carry them deep into the playoffs. You would never see the old Red Wings teams lose games 8-2 (3/7 vs. Columbus), 8-0 (2/28 at Nashville), or 5-2 (2/21 at light scoring Minnesota). They have the offense--there's no doubt about that--but the goaltending just isn't there this time around. The Wings seem poised for an early (2nd maybe?) round flameout in 2009.

5 CRIPPLING CONTRACTS IN THE NHL TODAY

Everybody knows that the rising price of free agents, coupled with the recent economic downturn spells bad news for the NHL. Now, with superstar players signing ten or eleven year deals, teams won't be able to surround those players with enough talent to win on a consistent basis when the salary cap goes down. Maybe some long term deals, like the one Washington gave to Alexander Ovechkin, are worth it. Here are five that are not.

5. Mike Commodore- Blue Jackets, 5-years, $18.75 million
This sure seems like too big a contract for a team like the Blue Jackets to be giving to Mike Commodore. Columbus is desperately trying to claw it's way into the Western Conference playoffs (don't worry, they'll make it), but are they really a Cup contender? Depth on the blue line is certainly an issue for them (it is for most teams), so why throw such a long term deal at Commodore? It would have been more beneficial for GM Scott Howson to spend that money on two shorter, cheaper contracts than throwing it all at the 29-year old, who is now playing for his fifth different team.

4. Wade Redden- Rangers, 6-years, $39 million
Redden signed this monster deal to join the Big Apple circus this past offseason, and is already booed every time he touches the puck at MSG. The 31-year-old defenseman, who was rated number one on SI writer Allan Muir's Free Agents most likely to bust column, parlayed 11 pretty good years in Ottawa into this mega deal. Needless to say, it hasn't quite worked out. Redden was a plus-159 in his career for the Sens. He's a minus-9 through 64 games with the Rangers.

3. Scott Gomez- Rangers, 7-years, $51.25 million
Gomez, now in his second season with the Rangers, hasn't exactly lived up to his massive contract. New York has struggled to score goals consistently, and were somewhat handicapped at the trade deadline because of the massive cap hits that come with both Gomez and Redden (above). Gomez's 47 points put him 66th in the NHL. Not exactly what Glen Sather wanted when he agreed to this monstrosity.

2. Daniel Briere- Flyers, 8-years, $52 million
Briere also signed his deal before last season, and will be in Philadelphia for a long long time. Briere has struggled with injuries, but more than anything is giving the Flyers serious salary cap issues that they will have for years to come. Bobby Clarke allegedly dangled Briere (and his mega contract) before the trade deadline, but nobody wanted to touch that albatross, so Briere remains a Flyer. Throw that in with the 12-year deal they signed Mike Richards to, and Philly is looking at major problems down the road.

1. Rick DiPietro- Islanders, 15-years, $67.5 million
What is there to say about this? DiPietro will make $4.5 million every season until 2021. Sure seems ridiculous considering his recurring health problems, and the fact that the Islanders are neck deep in red ink. Apparantly the Isles didn't learn anything from the 10-year, $87.1 million mistake that Alexei Yashin signed in 2001. DiPietro's deal is guaranteed and will have to be paid in full should the netminder be forced to retire due to injuries. While nobody is saying that he'll need to give up hockey, DiPietro has struggled to stay healthy. He has missed all but five games this season, and will miss the remainder of the year. DiPietro has had three surgeries in the past year, including knee and hip operations. The only thing we can do here is ask what were they thinking?

THE TOP 5 MUSTACHES IN NHL HISTORY

Watching Bill Clement on the NHL Live! Trade deadline show yesterday afternoon got me thinking about one of his most under appreciated characteristics: the mustache. That man simply knows how to wear the lip fur. Here are five more masters of the mustache.

5. Dennis MarukBesides being a mustache legend, Maruk was a pretty good player in his day. He scored 50 goals in 1980-81, and 60 the season after that. He was also the first Washington Capital to have 100 points in a single season.

4. Harold SnepstsThe former Vanouver Canuck looks a bit like Cheech Marin, but with a better slap shot. Snepsts appeared in over 1,000 games for Vancouver, Detroit, and St. Louis between 1974 and 1991.

3. Dave BabychBabych, who's bushy 'stache traveled with him to Winnipeg, Hartford, Vancouver, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles over 19 seasons, was a two-time All-Star who scored 723 points during his long career as an NHL defenseman.

2. George ParrosA current player this high on the list? It must be Princeton grad Parros, who's rough, gritty play makes him valuable to the Ducks. He loves to fight, and had this to say when asked about the 'stache: "It's very robust and manly." Well then.


1. Lanny McDonald
Who else? McDonald, who's fiery red mustache matched his Calgary Flames uniform, was also quite a good player. He scored over 500 goals in his career, and won a Cup with Calgary in 1989. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall-of-Fame in 1992, and we can only assume the Mustache Hall-of-Fame long before that. McDonald's mustache is probably the best in all sports, not just hockey. At least until someone brings back the look to it's glory days...

TOP 5 OLD-SCHOOL GOALIE MASKS

Way back in late January, we counted down our five favorite goalie masks of all-time. Some were old (Gerry Cheevers), some were new (Jaroslav Halak), but all were very creatively designed. Now, let's look at five more masks, these ones from long ago, before the current cage design we see so often today. These masks are all old-school Jason masks that were so effective for goaltenders from generations ago.

*Note- Gerry Cheevers is not on this list simply because he was number 1 on our list of the five greatest masks of all-time.

5. Chico Resch- New York Islanders

Resch's dark blue design from the 1970's makes the cut because of how menacing it makes him look. I love that the Y in NY makes a hockey stick, plus the outline of the smile around the mouth.

4. Murray Bannerman- Chicago Blackhawks
This weird design obviously comes from the Blackhawks logo, but it kind of makes him look like a Geisha girl in net. Or maybe a cat. Either way, it's funny.

3. Ken Dryden- Montreal Canadiens

Dryden's bleu, blanc, et rouge looks like a target aiming straight for the middle of his mug. Plus the cutout arrows all over the mask give it a certain zany appeal, like everything is all out of whack, yet right where it should be.

2. Gary Bromley- Vancouver Canucks

Bromley's skull design is like an earlier, cooler, more human-looking version of the one Vesa Toskala wears now. The space on the right side of the mouth also gives the appearance of missing teeth, a trait common among most NHL players.

1. Gilles Gratton- New York Rangers

This fierce looking mask was worn by Gratton in his one season with the Rangers in 1976-77. There is no denying that the cat mask is one of the greatest goalie mask designs ever.

THE TOP 5 HOCKEY MOVIES

With the Oscars set to kick off in just a few hours, let's count down the top five hockey movies ever made. Before we begin the list, here are a few movies you won't see: MVP: Most Valuable Primate, Sudden Death, or The Love Guru. Sorry to fans of those films, but they just aren't quite good enough for the list. Here are the top five.

5. Mystery, Alaska
Russell Crowe stars in this film about hockey in a small Alaskan town that is chosen to host a televised exhibition game against the New York Rangers. Jay Roach directed the 1999 comedy, and the movie gets extra points for Mike Myers portrayal of hockey announcer Donnie Shulzhoffer, a comedic character based on the hilarious Don Cherry.

4. The Rocket
This 2005 Canadian movie focuses on Maurice Richard coming into the NHL in a time when French Canadians were rare in the league. The trailer makes it seem like a corny Disney movie (the voiceover really does it), but the hockey scenes look great. Not that there is anything wrong with corny Disney movies. Movies like...

3. The Mighty Ducks
OK. It's a bit unrealistic. Emilio Estevez's greatest role (don't even try to deny it) as coach Gordon Bombay who turns a bunch of misfit kids into champions. Of course, I'm only talking about the first one, as D2 was pretty average, and let's pretend The Mighty Ducks 3 never even happened. Just remember, Ducks fly together.

2. Miracle
This 2004 movie tells the tale of the Miracle on Ice, when the United States hockey team defeated the heavily favored Soviet team in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Kurt Russell stars as head coach Herb Brooks, the plaid laden leader of the gold medal winning Americans.

1. Slap Shot
What else would have been number one? Paul Newman, plus the Hanson brothers, make Slap Shot the best hockey movie of all-time, and one that will probably never be topped.

THE 5 WORST TRADES IN NHL HISTORY

The NHL trade deadline draws ever closer, and many talented players are rumored to be changing teams in the very near future. That said, we don't really know how any of these trades--should they actually happen--will turn out. Here are five ended up extremely one sided. They are the five worst trades in NHL history.

5. The Canucks traded Alek Stojanov to the Penguins for Markus Naslund- March 20, 1996
Naslund had 19 goals and 52 points in 66 with the Pens in '95-96 before he was dealt to Vancouver. Stojanov appeared in only 45 games with Pittsburgh over the next two seasons--scoring two goals-- and never made it back to the NHL.

4. The Flyers traded Peter Forsberg, Steve Duschene, Mike Ricci, Ron Hextall, Kerry Huffman, Chris Simon, a draft pick (who became Jocelyn Thibault), and $15 million to the Nordiques for Eric Lindros- June 30, 1992
Thats quite the handful Quebec got for Lindros. Forsberg was one of the most skilled players in the NHL for a number of years with the club, most of it after they moved to Colorado and became the Avalanche. Ricci was an agitator who helped the Avs big time in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the draft pick, which later became Jocelyn Thibault was later traded to Montreal for a goaltender by the name of Patrick Roy. The Avalanche went on to win two of the next five Cups. Lindros was good, but concussions derailed his career. He certainly wasn't worth what Philly gave up for him.

3. The Rangers traded Bernie Nichols, Steven Rice, and Louie Debrusk to the Oilers for Mark Messier and Jeff Buekeboom- October 4, 1991
What can you really say about this one? Messier became one of the Rangers' all-time greats, leading them to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years in 1994. Bernie Nichols--the best of the three players Edmonton acquired--lasted two seasons in Edmonton. Ouch.

2. The Bruins traded Barry Pederson to the Canucks for Cam Neely and the number three overall draft pick in 1987 (Glen Wesley)- June 6, 1986
Vancouver gave up Neely, then 21-years-old, for a player who was four years older and certainly not as talented. Neely became the ultimate power forward for the Bruins, and his number eight now hangs in the rafters of the (new) Boston Garden. The pick became Wesley, who spent seven successful seasons in Boston, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals twice. Pederson spent four unimpressive seasons with the Canucks before being traded to Pittsburgh in 1990.

1. The Bruins traded Pit Martin, Jack Norris, and Gille Marotte to the Blackhawks for Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge, and Fred Stanfield-May 15, 1967
Pit Martin was the only player Chicago got in this deal that had any success for them. Meanwhile the Bruins picked up Esposito, one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the game, Hodge, who scored 289 goals in nine seasons with the Bruins, and Stanfield, who scored 20 goals in each of his six seasons with the club. Only that debacle (for Chicago at least) could knock the Neely trade (above) out of the top spot.

THE TOP 5 FIGHTS IN NHL HISTORY

Continuing the various top five lists we've posted, here are five of the greatest hockey fights of all-time. Many of these are all out brawls with two entire teams going at it. All of them get the crowds going (some more literally than others), and all, like any good fight, ratchet up the intensity for the rest of the game. Enjoy.

5. Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals



Always great to see goalies fighting, but it's especially fun considering Kolzig and Dafoe are best friends. I especially like the jawing afterwords between Boston coach Pat Burns and Caps head coach Ron Wilson.

4. Tie Domi vs. Bob Probert



Love the "championship belt" celebration by Domi before all hell breaks lose on the ice. Probert is quite a bit bigger than him, but Domi is the clear winner of this one.

3. PJ Stock vs. Stephen Peat



In the Bruins/Caps rematch (see above), PJ Stock--always a fan favorite in Boston--and Stephen Peat throw about a million punches in one minute. Haymaker after haymaker after haymaker. Great fight.

2. Patrick Roy vs. Chris Osgood



Roy wanted a fight and got all he could handle--and more. Osgood was hesitant at first but ended up kicking Roy's ass. I especially love the atmosphere in Detroit after this fight, with the sellout crowd chanting "Ozzy, Ozzy." Only one fight could knock this one out of the top spot...

1. Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers, People of New York



Nothing else needs to be said...

TOP 5 SLOVAKIAN BORN PLAYERS IN THE NHL

We've already looked at the top American players, and top Finnish players currently in the NHL, now let's look to Slovakia. Everybody knows about the success the Czech Republic has had in international play recently, but here are some players that will help their neighbors (and former countrymen) make a run for the gold.

5. Miroslav Satan- Pittsburgh Penguins

Satan, a longtime member of the Buffalo Sabres, has 351 goals and 716 points in his 14 year NHL career. Originally from Topolcany, Czechoslovakia, Satan has 31 points in his first year with the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

4. Marek Svatos- Colorado Avalanche

With 25 points through 46 games this season, Svatos is pretty much on par with the rest of his career numbers. He set a career high with 32 goals in 2006-07, and was a plus-13 for Colorado last year. The Kosice, Czechoslovakia native has 19 career game winning goals in his fifth season with the Avs.

3. Marian Gaborik- Minnesota Wild

If only Gaborik could stay healthy! The third overall pick in 2000 from Trencin, Czechoslovakia, Gaborik is a scoring machine--when he's out on the ice. He's reached the 30 goal plateau five times in his career, including a career best 42 a year ago. If he leaves Minnesota as a free agent this offseason, look for an increase in numbers. Getting out from Jacques Lemaires' offense supressing style should benefit him greatly.

2. Marian Hossa- Detroit Red Wings
Hossa, originally from Stara Lubovna, Czechoslovakia, is one of the most gifted players in the entire NHL. He has 30 goals so far this season, his first in Detroit, and has a career high of 45, set back in 2002-03. The incredibly durable Hossa, who has played in at least 80 games in a season six times, has 329 goals in 12 seasons with Ottawa, Atlanta, Pittsburgh (briefly), and Detroit. So how could he not be number one? Well...

1. Zdeno Chara- Boston Bruins

Big Z, the tallest player to ever play in the National Hockey League (he's 6'9), is the captain of the NHL's best team, and is one of the best defensive players in the league right now. He means more to his team than anyone else on this list (Hossa included), which gives him the top spot. He has the NHL record for hardest slap shot, and is a plus-66 in 741 career games. Chara, originally from Trencin, Czechoslovakia (same as Gaborik), netted a career best 17 goals last season, and is on pace--with 12 through 54 games-- to equal or better that mark.

Other Slovaks to look out for in international play include Richard Zednick, Michael Handzus, Lubomir Visnovsky, Ladislav Nagy, and Andrej Meszaros.

TOP 5 FINNISH BORN PLAYERS IN THE NHL

Usually not as successful as neighboring Sweden, Finland does have some great NHL talent of their own. Past stars like Jari Kurri and Esa Tikanen paved the way for some of today's stars. Stars like...

5. Tuomo Ruutu- Carolina Hurricanes
Ruutu, a left wing from Vantaa, Finland has 16 goals and 16 assists for the Hurricanes so far this season. The ninth overall pick by Chicago back in 2001, Ruutu netted 23 for the Blackhawks in his rookie year of 2003-04. He is a hard worker, and an all-around skilled player. And, he doesn't bite like his brother...

4. Olli Jokinen- Phoenix Coyotes
Jokinen is the Florida Panthers all-time scoring leader and is in his first season in Phoenix. The 30-year-old from Kuopio, Finland has 225 career goals and 270 career assists, including a 17-17-34 line this season. The former Florida captain scored a career high 39 goals in 2006-07, and has played in all 82 regular season games five times in his ten plus years in the NHL.

3. Saku Koivu- Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens captain has been with the club since 1995 and is one of the best Fins of all-time. Known more for his passing than scoring throughout his career, Koivu has 434 career assists, including 172 of them on the power play. Originally from Turku, Finland, Koivu is probably best remembered for beating cancer and returning to the NHL just a few years ago.

2. Teemu Selanne- Anaheim Ducks
By far the oldest in this group, Selanne might just be the best Fin to ever play the game. He has 1189 career points in 18 NHL seasons and is still going strong, with 5 goals and 16 assists for Anaheim in 39 games so far this year. At 38, who knows how long Selanne has left in the NHL? He is though, without a doubt, a sure fire hall of famer.

1. Miikka Kiprusoff- Calgary Flames
The 32-year-old goalie from Turku, Finland is 30-15-3 for Calgary this season, and has 175 wins since joining the Flames in 2003-04. The former Sharks backup set an all-time, modern day NHL record in his first season in Calgary with a 1.69 GAA, and won the 2006 Vezina Trophy as the league's top netminder.

Other elite Fins include Miikko Koivu, Jussi Jokinen, and Jere Lehtinen. Also look out for young goaltender Tuuka Rask in the future.

TOP 5 AMERICAN BORN PLAYERS IN THE NHL

THN.com, website of The Hockey News features a post every Wednesday called the THN Top 10 which, as you can imagine, is a countdown of various topics in and around the NHL. Recently, they posted the Top 10 Czech Born Players in the NHL, which naturally got me thinking about the upcoming Olympics and World Hockey Championships. So, over the next few days, we'll be counting down the top 5 current NHL players from different countries around the world. First up, the United States of America. Here are the top five American born players currently in the NHL.

5. Phil Kessel- Boston Bruins
The 22-year-old Madison, Wisconsin native is enjoying a breakout season for the first place Bruins. Kessel's 24 goals and 20 assists are both career highs, and he is a plus-15 in 48 games so far this season.

4. Chris Drury- New York Rangers
Drury, now 32, has been a very good NHL player for a long time. He has scored 20 goals or more eight times, and had a career high 37 for Buffalo in 2006-07. The Trumbull, Connecticut native has 233 regular season goals and 46 playoff tallies thus far in his career.

3. Zach Parise- New Jersey Devils
Parise, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, leads New Jersey with 30 goals and 31 assists in 53 games this year. A first time All-Star this season, Parise is strong and physical, and is very dependable for the Devils. He has played at least 81 games in all three of his full seasons in the NHL.

2. Patrick Kane- Chicago Blackhawks
For those of you who say Kane is too high on this list, just wait. The first overall pick in 2007, Kane won the Calder Trophy last season as the NHL's Rookie of the Year, and has continued to improve for Chicago. The 20-year-old from Buffalo, New York has 17 goals and 28 assists for the burgeoning Blackhawks, and figures to be an important part of the United States plans in international competition.

1. Ryan Miller- Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres' Miller, originally from East Lansing, Michigan is one of the top netminders in the entire NHL. Now in his sixth season in Buffalo, Miller is 26-13-5 with a 2.45 GAA. He went a stellar 40-16-6 in 2006-07 and has a career goals against average of 2.65 and a career save percentage of .910.

With all due respect to the old guard of American hockey players--Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight-- it's time for these young guns to take the reigns. Rick DiPietro could make this list, but his injury woes continue to haunt him. Also look out for Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Tim Thomas, Dustin Brown, and Erik Johnson to possibly suit up for Team USA in the near future.

THE 5 WORST ALTERNATE JERSEYS IN THE NHL

We've already looked at the five best alternate designs, now let's go over the five worst.

5. Ottawa Senators

My main problems with this one are the sleeves and the sides. Too many stripes and color changes going every which way. There is simply too much going on, and the piping on the shoulders looks ridiculous. I actually don't mind the slant of the writing, but the rest ruins a logo with potential.




4. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens have been black, gold, and (I guess) white for so long that anything else just doesn't work. The ugly light blue, coupled with the yellow of the normal logo in the center clashes badly, and the black lines at the base of the sleeves look strange.




3. Phoenix Coyotes

I actually like the Coyotes normal jerseys, but these are just plain weird. The leaping coyote is such a far cry from what we've seen in Phoenix over the years (which is not always a bad thing). The striping on the sides doesn't look quite right, and the slanted coloring on the sleeves is strange.
Close, but no cigar.



2. Dallas Stars
Boring. Boring. Boring. It's white, it's straightforward, and it's bland. No piping on the bottom makes it look even more empty.







1. Atlanta Thrashers

What were they thinking? The color scheme is weird, has no relation whatsoever to their normal jerseys, and the writing is too high and too thin. Ugh.

THE TOP 5 ALTERNATE JERSEYS IN THE NHL

The NHL's decision to create new alternate jerseys for some of it's teams was certainly an interesting one. Teams change jersey designs so often, it seems like every couple of weeks a new logo appears. By creating these new third jerseys the NHL has put a stop to teams unveiling new designs so often, and have in turn created some fantastic looking jerseys, and some of the most hideous uniforms you will ever see. Here are the five best looking alternates, with the five worst coming later on.

5. Boston Bruins
Thankfully, the B's decided to abandon the mustard yellow jerseys and get back to the black alternates. I love the walking bear logo, which appears to be a more modernized version of the team's old logo.






4. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks decided not to completely overhaul the "shark biting hockey stick" logo that they have used ever since the team's creation, but slight tweaks make their new alternate a keeper. The draw string up top give the jersey an old-timey feel, and the teal arm stripes look pretty sweet. I also like the interlocking SJ on the shoulders.




3. Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers are essentially just going back to their hay day with these new jerseys. While Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Grant Fuhr may not be walking through that door, Edmonton is trying to bring back some of the magic from those teams. I especially like the orange coloring at the bottom of the sleeves.




2. Chicago Blackhawks
These jerseys, that the 'Hawks unveiled at the Winter Classic, are pretty awesome looking. They actually use a combination of two different jerseys from the past, combining them into these beauties. I really like the circle with team name surrounding the main logo.





1. Buffalo Sabres
I've always been a big fan of the Sabres old jerseys. The black uniforms with the buffalo's head are pretty stupid looking, and the jerseys they've worn for the past two seasons just can't compare. I'm glad they are going back to their original look with these alternates. If only the Sabres would wear them every game...

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.