In the NHL, a goaltender’s mask is a unique way for him to express himself on the ice through a medium other players do not have. When it comes to designing their masks, goalies are given the opportunity to showcase both their personalities and creative sides.
When it came to Linus Ullmark’s mask, the Senators’ newest goaltender knew he wanted to incorporate both personal and Sens-related touches. Ullmark’s new mask features several ties to his Swedish heritage alongside past and present connections to the Ottawa Senators.
The Swedish goaltender took inspiration from past Senators goalies’ masks when it came to designing his own. His favourites?
“I would say Patrick Lalime, Dominik Hasek, and Craig Anderson’s have been the top three for me. I think, mostly, Lalime’s was an obvious choice. And then for Hasek, it’s just the bucket in itself that is pretty cool. Craig has had a couple of good ones throughout his career here, as well. I know that he played a big part in the success that Ottawa’s had during his tenure here.”
Evidence of Lalime’s impact on Ullmark’s design process is evident. Along the top of the mask is a depiction of Looney Tunes character Marvin the Martian, a character who previously graced Lalime’s mask.
“I tried to come up with something that people could relate to — that was, fans a little bit further back, and also bringing in something new as well, hence why we got the Martian up top.”
With Ullmark’s rendition of the Martian comes a personalized twist. The Swedish Tre Kronor can be seen on Marvin’s helmet, as well as the horns of a Swedish Viking — homages to Ullmark’s Swedish roots. On either side, Swedish runes run along the edge of the mask, accompanied by Viking ships and the Senators logo.
“The traditional things with the logos and my number that I always have, but bringing in some Viking tunes as well with the Swedish Tre Kronor, Viking boats. The waters as well, which is a big part of my heritage. On the sides we have some runes, and some runes on the other side. Those ones are for me, my own, and my family.”
Ullmark reserved the back of his helmet solely for small, personal details that never change. A family of four polar bears — two cubs, a mother and father — march in a line across the back. Above them is the emblem of Lugnviks I.F., Ullmark’s childhood hockey team.
“On the back we have my two kids in the shape of two bear cubs, polar bear cubs, and then it’s me and my wife on the other side, together with my home team that I grew up playing for. Those are the things that always return. But then, the raw thing, I try to change from mask to mask.”
The helmet was designed by David Gunnarsson, a Swedish artist from Småland, Sweden, who now runs DaveArt, designing masks for some of hockey's biggest stars. Ullmark has been working with DaveArt for over a decade, and the goaltender has high praises for the artist.
“I’ve had a good relationship with Dave ever since I started my pro career as well in Sweden. So, we’ve come up with some pretty nifty ones. Which is good in a way, because we can be very honest with each other. I tell him right away if I don’t like it; I will get something else going. This one came out really good, I would say. He was the go-to guy. He was the best one, obviously, back in the day, as well. Especially for a young Swede. My dream was always to have a mask painted by him after seeing guys like Henrik Lundqvist and those guys and their masks. To look back at it now, 14 years later, it’s pretty special. Whenever I go into my little room with all the masks and kind of go through the memories and see the things I’ve done throughout my career.”
Senators fans can get excited to see what memories Ullmark will make for his new helmet this year as a Senator, as Sens hockey is just around the corner.
For an up-close look at Ullmark's new mask, have a look below!
