Masked Men: Big Screen "Goalies"

To non-hockey fans when someone says goalie mask, what is the first thing they think of?

Does Crystal Lake even have a hockey team?

Yes that's right.  That horrible kid swimmer, turned machete wielding un-killable brut that we all know as Jason.  He's single-handely brought the goalie mask to the mainstream, probably more so than any other pro hockey player ever has.  It all started when the guys behind the movie wanted a new look for the previously bag headed Jason...enter Martin Jay Sadoff.  He was the 3D effects supervisor (for Part III, which in every series turns into the 3D one...) and also a huge hockey fan.  He had a bag of hockey equipment and pulled out a Detroit Red Wings goalie mask (Hockeytown even dictates the direction horror icons take!).  It was remolded and fitted for the actor and the rest is history.

The original mask as seen in Part III

I never really grew up on the Friday the 13th series, and even when I did become a horror fan my favorite "slasher" icon was Michael Myers.  Which has nothing to do with hockey so moving right along...

HOCKEY!

So what is the point of this blog?  Well to discuss my origin for the love of the game, and my fascination with the goalie mask.  I've already pointed out that Jason brought the goalie mask to the big screen, but it was another mask that caught my attention as a kid that led to my fascination of the goalie mask.

Ladies and gentlemen, a blast from the past...

CASEY JONES!

Now I realize I might be losing some of you readers right now, but I hope that the ones around my age 25-30 are being hit in the face by the nostalgic beast that is the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.  I recently re-watched this (which was great fun) and realized that all this obsession with the goalie mask had little to do with watching NHL games as a kid, but from the masked vigilante Casey Jones.  Which probably seems insane being a huge hockey fan now, but seeing a character like this as a kid was awesome!  Before I ever saw Jason, I saw Casey high sticking and slashing punks and "lawbreakers" on the big screen and on the TV screen in the original cartoon series.

Filthy LAWBREAKER!

Plus the mask was really cool looking!

Hence the reason why it's my profile pic!

Now in the movie (which I remember him best) he was played by Elias Koteas (as fun a performance you'll ever see) and is a former hockey pro turned vigilante.  So there's a reason for the mask...and keeps this blog still having a hockey vibe...kindof.  In the movie whenever he showed up, he was always doing something badass!  He also got the girl in the end!  He was full of one liners, and he became a great friend to the turtles.  In the movie he talks about having to end his career after suffering an injury...it never really goes into details about who he played for, or what position...but me being a Red Wings fan, lets pretend he was the craziest Red Wings goalie the NHL ever saw.

RED WINGS!

What I always liked was in the original cartoon series he NEVER took off the mask.  Which I always found funny.  Even when he went on a job interview (note to self...).  I mean, he LOVED that mask.

Experiences?  Hmm...hockey...baseball...golf...cricket.

Another thing I always loved was he was always spouting sports references.  As seen here in his introduction in the original movie.  He became a fan favorite to TMNT fans, along with the movies and tv shows, has been in comics (where he was originally introduced and created by Kevin Eastman) and had countless toys made in his likeness.  He is also scheduled to be in the upcoming Ninja Turtles movie (scheduled for a 2013 release).  One of the coolest things a fellow fan did was actually create a fan film based on Casey Jones!  You can watch the movie here.  That's dedication, and pretty cool if you ask me.

This might be worth something now...

Shout out to Polaris Banks, director of the fan film.

Anyway I thought it'd be fun to reminisce about the birth of my goalie mask obsession, which however weird has led me to admiring the sport and the men and women who stand guard between the crease.

"Wayne Gretzky...on steroids?!"

So reminisce with me in the comments!  Let me know who got you started with the obsession of the mask?  the position? the game?  And let me know if you grew up with Casey Jones like I did!