As hard as it is to believe today, goalies in the NHL – such as Toronto Maple Leafs all-time great Johnny Bower – didn’t always wear masks.
Every hockey fan knows of the iconic stitches that Gary Cheevers painted on his mask in the early seventies, and ever since then, the art of the goalies mask has been an integral part of the NHL experience.
From hockey card sub-sets to McDonald’s replica’s that came in happy meals, goalie masks have been an interesting sub-culture of the NHL for years.
Today I count down my top 5 favorite goalie masks in Toronto Maple Leafs history.