Behind the Mask

My story in tomorrow's (oops, I mean today's) Times will focus on the three goalies competing for roster spots at training camp and the effect the exhibition games this weekend will have on their chances.

I'm not sure how much you guys are interested in things like goalie masks, but Gerry Festa's definitely caught my attention.

Kyle Gajewski wears a plain white mask to match his white pads, and Dan Spence wears a unique but pretty straightforward mask designed for when he played with the Sarnia Sting last season, but Festa's almost looks like a piece of abstract art when you're far enough away from him.

Let's go to the photographic evidence...

Gajewski:

























Spence:

























I don't have any head-on photos of Festa, plus it would be a bit difficult to see the details in a shot like that, so I'll give you one of each side (click on any picture to enlarge it):

Right:

















Left:


















It turns out that Festa is a Calgary native and played in Vancouver during his college career at the University of British Columbia, so he decided to have his mask painted as an homage to Olympic Games hosted in Canada.

The left side pays tribute to the last time that event occurred, in Calgary in 1988, while the right is recognizes the upcoming 2010 Winter Games.

If you're attending tonight's preseason game, be sure to check out the mask; it's a pretty neat sight.

I'm sorry that I didn't mention this previously, but long-time Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil will be at the game, dropping the ceremonial first puck and auctioning off an autographed guitar.

Tickets are only $5, and you can get one for free with a purchased ticket to the Oct. 24 regular season home opener, so there's not much of a reason to sit this one out unless you're a high school football fanatic.

I will definitely post all my quotes about the goalies on here tomorrow because they're already transcribed, and I'll try to get to the ones I've missed ASAP. I may have some time tomorrow before the game, but if not, Saturday for sure.