When Samuel Montembeault took to the ice with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night, fans noticed something different about the Bécancour native: he was sporting a brand new mask. For once, the netminder went away from the classic look of a Canadiens’ bucket, which more often than not simply focuses on the logo.
His new mask was designed by Jordon Bourgeault, the artist behind Carey Price’s cyborg mask. On his Instagram page, Bourgeault explained that the concept was to make the entire mask a giant twisting knot of snakes. Even the Habs logo on the mask is made of snake scales. On the front of the mask, right above the cage, there are snake eyes, as if Montembeault himself were a snake.
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The mask was made in partnership with Apple as part of the Made on iPad project and is available on the new EA Sports NHL game. That’s an interesting development, as fans of the gaming franchise had long wished the goaltenders in the game could wear their authentic masks, making the experience more realistic.
The design is an interesting change of pace for a Canadiens’ netminder, as more often than not, the Habs masked men err on the side of caution and stick to a more traditional concept. The backplate is painted to resemble bones, which complements the snake skeletons on the mask, and it features a large “M” for his family name and an image of his French Bulldog, Gucci. Overall, this really is a fantastic mask.
Given how the season started for the netminder, one might wonder whether he intended to shake off his old skin, much like a snake does multiple times a year. It worked well for him, though, as he had a fantastic game, only conceding one goal to the Jets on the power play and finishing the game with a .973 save percentage. A performance that will no doubt allow him to have a much better Olympic break and that will have reassured the Habs’ brass, especially if he can build on it after the break. Chances are, he’ll still be wearing this mask when he returns from the break; you don’t change a winning formula.
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