A pictorial history of the hockey goalie's "other face"
In team sports, where the uniform reigns supreme, there is no more recognizable piece of sporting equipment than the goalie mask. Reflecting the often quirky character of the goalie, the artwork on a goalie mask can be a stylized and richly evocative portrait of the man beneath. With photographs from the Hockey Hall of Fame's unparalleled collection of masks, this unique book offers diehard hockey fans a rare look at the world of the goalie mask. Full of fascinating information on the history and construction of the goalie mask, the book also includes sidebars on mask artists and makers and stories and photographs of some of the greatest masks in the game.
Jim Hynes (Montreal, QC) is a freelance writer and editor. Gary Smith (Grand Falls, NB, Canada) has crafted masks for the CBC's Canada-Russia '72 and for the movie Miracle.
A detailed and colorful look at the history of the goalie mask... Being a long-time hockey fan (and having a certain affinity for goalies), I knew I had to get this book when I saw it appear on my RSS feed... Saving Face: The Art and History of the Goalie Mask by Jim Hynes and Gary Smith. If you're not a hockey fan, you might wonder how on earth you could write a book about a single piece of sporting gear, and not even a actual part of the game at that! Ah, if you *are* a fan of the game, you know that the goalie mask has a rich and storied history. Jim Hynes and Gary Smith do an excellent job in telling that story, complete with great photographs from the first leather padding to the "mage" works of art that are used these days.
Contents: Forward by Gerry Cheevers Introduction The Innovators The Golden Age Paint Jobs and Metal Bars The Freedom of Expression Index Picture Credits Acknowledgments
When the game of hockey first started, goalies played just as everyone else did... no helmet, no mask. It wasn't as deadly as it might sound now, as the sticks at that time almost guaranteed that the puck never left the ice surface. Besides, goalies were forbidden by rule to go to the ice to block a shot. It was all standup goaltending. But as the game progressed, the sticks got lighter, the shots started leaving the ice, and goalies were allowed to do just about anything to block a puck. As you might imagine, this resulted in a number of rather graphic injuries. One of the first goaltenders to try out facial protection in the NHL was Clint Benedict in 1930. His mask was made of leather, and covered the forehead, nose, and cheeks. In hindsight, it seems to be a no-brainer decision to wear masks, but back then it was a major controversy. Your courage was questioned, coaches forbid the practice, and fans couldn't see the faces of their favorite players. But as the number of injuries declined and the mask technology advanced, more high-end goalies started to adopt them. 1958 led to the introduction of the fiberglass molded mask (think Freddie Krueger style), and not too soon after that, the tradition of decorating the mask took off. What started off as a joke by Cheevers painting stitches whenever he got hit with a puck, progressed to the incredible paint jobs you see in the league today. These custom paint jobs often cost thousands of dollars and can take well over a week to complete. Hynes and Smith complete their history by showing how the fiberglass mask gave way to the "birdcage" style popularized by USSR goalie Vladislav Tretiak during the 1992 Summit Series. And from there, we go to the most familiar style these days, the combination mask that combines the mask and cage into a sleek, wrap-around design that offers the goalie an incredible amount of safety from slapshots traveling at 100 miles per hour.
There's no other single piece of sporting gear that can reflect the personality of the wearer as much as the goalie mask. Between their concise but complete history and the detailed photographs of masks over the years, Hynes and Smith have created a book that most hockey will enjoy, and all goalies will want to own. Even though I knew some of the history before I started this, the story took on a whole new level of color and flavor with Saving Face. I'm sure both of my sons who play hockey (one of which is a goalie), will enjoy reading this book immensely. I just have to convince him that his pure black combination helmet is perfectly acceptable, and that dad doesn't have that kind of money for a custom paint job. :)
The Men In The Nets And Their Masks! The Book "SAVING FACE: The Art and history of the Goalie Mask", by Jim Hynes and Gary Smith, proves to be a captivating journey back in time. This wonderful and lavishly illustrated book, traces the history of the Goalie mask from it's very antiquated beginnings, to the modern era. This book will have special meaning for all those older fans who were there during the the decades of the 1960's and 1970's, when the goalie mask changed the the art of goaltending forever. On November 1st,1959, Montreal goalie Jacques Plante was struck in the face by a puck shot by New York Ranger Andy Bathgate. Against his coaches wishes, Jacques came out of the lockeroom and with mask in hand, and the rest is history. Jacques plante and his innovation of the goalie mask, started the golden age of goaltending as both a protective piece of equipment and an artistic statement of individual personality, in which each mask became as famous as the men who wore them. As one reads through this encyclopedic like history of the mask, the reader is treated to a tour deforce of over 50 years of NHL mask innovation. See all the greats in both text and photo's, as you are taken behind the scenes of each mask, and learn about the men who made them, and the players who made them famous. This is a who's who of goaltending. Names Like Ken Dryden, Gerry Cheevers, Tony Esposito, Terry Sawchuk, Gump Worsley, Johnny Bower, Glenn Hall, Eddie Giacomin, Bernie Parent, and Martin Brodeur are just a few of the names you will recognize. I consider this book a must have for any fans, players and coaches both young and old, who have an appreciation for the game of ice hockey. More importantly, this is one of the finest hockey history books ever written. This book comes with my highest recommendation, and should be a part of any serious hockey library.
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