Saving Face: The Art and History of the Goalie Mask

by Jim Hynes, Gary Smith

I've always had an appreciation for the history of hockey, especially anything to do with goalies and goaltending. Now someone has finally come out with a book about goalie masks and how they came to look like the one I wear in the NHL today. From the kids who love the colorful mask art of today to those who remember when goalies played without masks, generations of hockey fans will enjoy Saving Face." - Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils goaltender"This book is a great idea. It will benefit goalies to look back to the days before the mask and to understand the reasons for it. And it's worthwhile for kids to see the old masks and see the changes that have been made, and to see how the masks were a part of the Canadian game. It's a very enjoyable real" - Ed Giacomin, Hockey Hall of Fame goalie

"The past 50 years have seen the goalie mask evolve from being an object of scorn to being the most individualized and most protective piece of equipment in a goalie's armor. This book does an excellent job of telling that story, in words and visually through great photography!" - Dave Dryden, former NHL goaltender, and pioneering mask designer

"Goalie masks have been an intriguing part of hockey for the past half century. This unique book is full of colorful and informative stories and photographs about the mask, its history and the men who have worn them, past and present." - Dick Irvin, Hockey Night in Canada

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[David Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very earnest and sincere attempt to shine a light on the cultural impact the goalie mask has had on the sport of ice hockey and also the general public. It, the book, spends too many pages repeating itself and doubling back when it should be moving forward. It speaks often in generalities and assumptions when it could have been more specific and more in touch with its subject matter. It does a much better job at examining the modern goalie mask than it does the older, classic masks. Perhaps that's because the modern masks and their makers are still in circulation and easier to track. There were a lot of masks referred to but not illustrated which I found disappointing. There were photo illustrations without much background. In all it was a pleasing book to glance at but it needed about 100 more pages to truely capture the evolution of the mask. I would have liked to have seen a detailed guide to how masks were actually constructed although there are hobbyists on the internet who will gladly share their homemade recipes. An updated version of the book works be great as about 99% of the "active" goalies referred to in the final chapter are now out retired (Carey Price was mentioned once).

[Shaelei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and detailed book about the goalie mask.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool photos showing the evolution of goalie masks.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book for nhl goalie fans.

[Teebz Hbic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for Saving Face can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.

[bamlinden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a goalie mask fanatic. Have been for the better part of 15 years. I love seeing new designs come out each year and jump when I see a rare unearthed photo of a vintage piece of fiberglass.

So you can guess I was a big fan of Saving Face when it originally came out in 2008. In fact, I own a copy of it. And I enjoyed looking at all the photos and even skimmed through the text. Yes....that's right, I didn't take the time to read the book. Until now.

Jim Hynes and Gary Smith do a very thorough job of guiding the reader through the history of the goalie mask. As someone who has read numerous articles and scratched and clawed to discover all I can about masks myself, there wasn't a ton of new material in this read. Still....nice photos.

It's a very simple, chronological telling of the 50+ year history and as a critique, the writing style is very simple. It feels like it is written at a grade 5-6 level reader. Not a lot of meat on the bone. As well, there are single page bios and sort of "fast facts" which are nice...but then the same text appears in the main body of the story. Too redundant. But still.....nice photos.

It's a good surface read but lacks any real in-depth history. Little to no quotes from actual goalies or mask makers, it's solely and author's depiction of the history. Which works...but didn't really do it for me.

But hey....nice photos.

[Katriena Knights · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more interesting than I expected, and the photography is great.