Looking Pretty

Life Magazine

An Artist's rendition of how goalie Terry Sawchuk would look

with all the injuries he received during his NHL career

I have learned that when John gets the puck at the point to get out of his way.  I know I'm supposed to be blocking the goalie's view and looking for a  rebound, but sorry, I'm not about to get in the way of the projectile that the puck becomes when he takes a shot.  In the co-ed league that we're playing in right now, slapshots aren't even allowed, but I still stay out of the way of his wrist shot.  Goalies on the other hand, do not share my viewpoint and willingly put themselves in front of such dangerous shots.  I have learned during my two and half years of playing hockey, that goalies are force unto themselves. 

A slap shot is when a player winds up his stick by raising it behind his/her body, then the player violently "slaps" the ice slightly behind the puck and uses his/her weight to bend the stick, storing energy in it like a spring. It is this bending of the stick that gives the slapshot its amazing speed. Just like a bow and arrow, the stick's desire to return to being straight is transferred to the puck, giving it much more speed than just hitting it alone could. When the face of the stick blade strikes the puck, the player rolls his/her wrists and shifts his/her weight so that the energy stored in the stick is released through the puck. Finally, the player follows through, ending up with the stick pointed towards the desired target.

I can't do a slapshot to save my life, during my few attempts, I've ended up on my butt.  It's a perfect example or how one can understand the theory, yet lack the ability to transfer the theory into reality. 

During an NHL skills competition, Zdeno Chara's slapshot was clocked at 168 Km/H.  Bobby Hull, during an era where goalies rarely wore a mask, was clocked at 190 Km/H, his wrist shot was purported to be even harder!  I know John's shot isn't anywhere near those lofty amounts; but all I know, is when he shoots, the puck travels at amazing speeds and makes a very loud sound when it hits the boards.  Thus I get out of the way

In 1927, Elizabeth Graham, a goaltender with Queen's University (my Alma Mater - Go Gaels!), strapped on a fencing mask during a game, supposedly because her father was worried about her mouth, since he had recently paid for extensive dental work.

Elizabeth Graham in the centre

(and we think young girls today all have the same hair style)

Elizabeth's actions, predate Clint Benedict, the first NHL goalie to wear a mask, by three years.

Clinton Stevenson "Praying Bennie" Benedict

Benedict wore the mask because of a broken nose, but chose not to continue wearing it due to the fact that the large nose piece obstructed his vision.  It wouldn't be till 30 years later that Jacques Plante would become the first NHL goalie to wear the mask on a regular basis.  Plante was only allowed to start wearing the mask (which he used for practice) during games, because his nose was broken by a shot from Andy Bathgate.  Plante refused to return to the game without the mask, and since he was the only goalie the team had, he was allowed to do so by the Canadien's management.  He was only supposed to wear the mask until his nose healed, but as the Canadien's winning streak mitigated the process, allowing Plante to integrate the mask into continual play.

Jacques Plante (1959)

Don't you love the his pads?

The goalie mask has changed the way modern goalies play the game.  In the pre mask days tried to remain standing, in order to protect their face from skates and sticks.  Today, goalies can make saves on their knees without fear of head or facial injuries. 

Gary Cheevers was the first goalie to start decorating his mask with hand drawn stitches where the puck hit his mask, representing the scars that would have been on his face. 

Gary Cheevers

I think he would have looked worse than Sawchuk

From Cheever's inspiration, goalies began to decorate the spare surface of their masks.  In 1970, Jim Rutherford of the Detroit Red Wings, added some decorative paint to his mask.

Jim Rutherford's Simple Design



Today's goalies utilize elaborate and intricate designs that are works of art in themselves.  For a sport that played by "macho" males, many goalies demonstrate their interests through the artwork on their masks.  Many goaltender's today can be identified by the motifs on their masks, often changing the colours when they're traded.

Patrick Lalime /  Marvin the Martin in Chicago

Patrick Lalime/ Marvin the Martin in Ottawa

There are thousands of google images on the Internet of goalie masks.  They're incredibly beautiful and artistic,  ... if I had the knees ...  no, there's no way I'd play goal, but I'd still love to design my goalie mask.  Hmmm, Madie has just turned 16 and will be driving soon ... think it would be appropriate to wear one, while I'm teaching her?  In the meantime, I'll be the one getting out of the way of John's shots.

A Picture Paints ...

The iconic photo of Bobby Orr scoring the winning goal of the Stanley Cup finals in 1970 is probably one of the most famous hockey pictures of all time.  I can't remember watching the game, though I probably did, since hockey was a mainstay of my family growing up.  There wasn't any other choice on Saturday nights during hockey season other than Hockey Night in Canada - I'm sure there were other TV shows, but none would have been deemed acceptable in our home.  The opening bars of Hockey Night in Canada can now be heard on TSN (I've never quite forgiven CBC for foolishly giving up the rights to that music), but since 1952, those notes of Dah da-Dah -da da (it's very hard to sing via spelling) meant that you were about to see some thrilling hockey.

It wasn't just Hockey Night in Canada were the action was.  I'm old enough to remember the first Canada - Russian Series.  In fact I'm old enough to remember the Cold War (which Madie thought was a war fought in the Arctic ... sigh).  I can clearly remember leaving my class to go to the Library to watch the final game and going crazy over Henderson's winning goal.

The Canadian win was a moment of intense national pride for Canadians.  Until that point, Russia had dominated most international events, since only amateurs were allowed to play.  The Russians had managed to neatly maintain the amateur status for their athletes by having them play hockey full time, though they were technically members of the military.  The '72 Summit Series feature the elite of both countries striving for dominance - Canada won!

Since I grew up in Toronto, I became a Leaf fan through default - it was simply the team I saw and heard about the most growing up.  I clearly remember watching the game where defenceman Borje Salming was knocked to the ice and was accidentally cut by another player's skate blade.

 Originally, the mode of thought in North America was that Europeans lacked the toughness to play in the NHL, Salming quickly put that issue to rest.  I have never considered playing the game without a facial cage for protection.

Through the 70s and the 80s the equipment certainly improved.

Who could ever forget Gerry Cheevers mask, that could have been his face?

Hockey photos aren't the only realm of how important the game is to Canadian.  Artist Ken Danby captured the essence of the game in two of his famous pictures.

I could probably go on and on, but I'll end here.  The game has produced so many heros, so many incredible moments and has entertained and delighted so many.   It's a game that requires sacrafice and dedication.  Maybe one day there'll be a photo of me ... but no, that's not why I play, I play for the fun, and because I play, I can appreciate all that I see about the game.