Ever since Gerry Cheevers decorated his mask with “stitch marks” to mark every time a stray puck hit his mask in the 1971-72 season, hockey goaltenders decorating their masks has become a key part of the culture of this wonderful sport.
As puck drop for the 2019-20 season inches closer, three San Jose Sharks goaltenders and one Barracuda goaltender have new digs on their masks to start the season. Here’s a look at the artwork we’ll see in net this season:
Martin Jones
ICYMI: Martin Jones new @SanJoseSharks goalie mask for the 2019/20 season. 🦈⚙️
👉🏻Watch the 360 vid on our IG 🎥 https://t.co/T7iaWSSAOe
🎨🖌Hand painted and airbrushed by Steve Nash of @Eyecandyair (on a @VaughnHockey /@Progoalie) #EyecandyairART #SJSharks #NHL #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/QwUrCzHMp4— EYECANDYAIR (@Eyecandyair) September 10, 2019
Following a less-than-ideal 2018-19 season, Jones may be looking for a clean slate in more ways than one. His new mask was designed by Steve Nash by Eyecandyair. It pays tribute to Brian Hayward’s iconic shark mouth mask, while also incorporating a “robo-shark” reminiscent of the mask James Reimer (AKA, “Optimus Reim”) wore during his limited time with the Sharks in 2016.
Here’s a 360-degree video of Jones’ robo-shark mask:
Half man, half 🦈, half 🤖
🎨: @Eyecandyair pic.twitter.com/IPTjjmmN54
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 9, 2019
Josef Korenar
Remember how Tomas Hertl was obsessed with Minions from the children’s film Despicable Me not too long ago? Josef Korenar dials it up to eleven with his new mask.
Created by David Gunnarsson, Korenar’s new mask features the Sharks’ primary logo on both sides of the mask, his number 32 on the chin and a Minion (who appears to be drowning?) on the right side of his mask.
Andrew Shortridge
🎨🖌 Fresh paint – here is Andrew Shortridge’s 2019-20 @sjbarracuda goalie mask! ✍🏻 Hand painted and airbrushed by Steve Nash of @Eyecandyair (on a @VaughnHockey / @Progoalie) 🥅
Don’t forget to check out our 360 🎥 video in our next post!#SJBarracuda #AHL #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/y25Bro6wv2— EYECANDYAIR (@Eyecandyair) September 10, 2019
One of the best netminders in college hockey last year has found a new home in San Jose.
Andrew Shortridge will begin his rookie season in San Jose with both San Jose teams’ logos on his mask, featuring the Sharks’ “screaming shark” logo on the left side of his mask and the San Jose Barracuda’s logo on the right. Shortridge’s mask also features the half-sun that is featured on the Sharks’ shield logo.
Zach Sawchenko
Although Sawchenko is not technically a Sharks goaltender (he signed an AHL contract with the Barracuda), I don’t want to leave him out. The artwork on his mask has yet to be posted on social media, but I noticed that he was sporting a new mask during training camp with Group C on Sunday, September 15. Here’s a few photos from camp:
It appears his mask features orange and teal stripes right down the middle of the mask, with the Barracuda’s two logos on the sides — the SJ on the left side, and the barracuda holding the stick on the right side. His number 36 is also visible on the chin of his mask.
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