“With a Shark?”: Resurfaced Image of Former NHL Goaltender’s Unique Mask Raises Eyebrows Within the Community

The NHL brings with it boiling enthusiasm on the ice rink. In fact, its history boasts of some iconic moments, including both passionate as well as bloody fights among players and fans, that shall remain imprinted in the game forever. 1979 saw NHL passing an affirmative mandate  on using safety head gears, but this one instance points to the eccentrically-styled safety helmet of athletes-turned-commentator, Brian Hayward. His unique helmet in the 1991–92 season is a shred of evidence of Hayward’s witty self. 

Hayward donned a shark-themed helmet while playing for the San Jose Sharks. The picture resurfaced as a Facebook post by Hockey Feed. He was the legendary goaltender with a shark’s mouth painted on the lid of his headgear that garnered immense attention from fans. However, many didn’t buy his stunt and criticized his humorous innovation, per a Facebook post. Let’s explore some of those reactions. 

Fans not fond of Brian Hayward’s shark helmet

As per the social media update by Hockey Feed, a resurfaced image of the ice-hockey legend wearing the helmet took the fans by surprise. However, on the contrary, most of them weren’t enthusiastic about his feat and reacted accordingly. Here are some of them: 

“Isn’t this essentially the same as moog and cujo with a shark? I mean saying the best ever is kinda a stretch”

“If it’s not a full fibreglass mask, it can’t be considered the best mask of all time. Half of its missing to begin with.”

“Still think Cujo’s is the best”

“They are all good masks, but Cheevers mask shows the affects of being a goal tender. My vote is for Cheevers.”

“Very cool mask but not the greatest. That mask gets outweighed for him being one of the worst announcers in hockey.”

“Not even close….Kippers was much better..Markstroms is much better also.”

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The debate sparked off into a fan-fest in the comments section. Nevertheless, the 65-year-old pro now adds to the NHL supremacy with his insightful and on-point commentary, post-retirement. Moreover, his grand work has also been acknowledged with three Emmy awards. In 2022, the iconic helmet was reinvented by another young NHL pro. 

Young NHL pro was inspired by the shark-themed helmet

Passing on the battalion to a younger generation, the SJ Sharks goaltender, Zach Emond once decided to tribute his goalie idol, Hayward with the famed helmet art. Drafted in 2018, the 22-year-old athlete decided to re-visit the minacious artwork by using it on his own. On a similar note, NHL ace, Petr Mrazek too got creative with his helmet in 2021. His grand helmet featured photos of his favorite athletes from different spheres, like Roger Federer and F1 pro, Charles Leclerc. 

However, Haywards wasn’t the only one to hit the ice with a conspicuous helmet theme. Players like Gary Bromley, Jimmy Howard, and Robin Lehner also contributed to the list of thrilling headgears that exhilarated the fans. Which one was your favorite? Drop it down in the comments.

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