HbD Masks: 2022 Winter Classic Masks
After a postponement in 2021, the Blues and Wild are set to face off at Target Field in Minneapolis on New Year’s Day 2022. Adidas put together some pretty stellar vintage-looking uniforms for the event, and now we’re getting a glimpse at the goalies’ gear to match.
Artists Dave Gunnarsson and Noah Ennis have rolled out their designs for their respective clients, so it’s time to break down what the St. Louis and Minnesota goaltenders will be sporting on January 1st.
Cam Talbot, Minnesota Wild
Noah Ennis, Shell Shock Co.
While the “MPLS – ST. PAUL” crest looked a bit cluttered on the jerseys, I have to say, it sure looks great on top of a mask. Artist Noah Ennis of Shell Shock Co. helped Talbot pay tribute to the regular occupants of Target Field, the Minnesota Twins, and their team history.
• More: HbD Masks: 2020 Winter Classic Masks
“[Cam] wanted to keep it clean also and match the jerseys,” Ennis shared of the concept, “kinda keep it old school looking from a distance but have newer tricks.” The left side of the mask features a birds-eye view of target field and the Twins’ retired numbers that scatter across to the right over a silhouetted outdoor rink scene.
Pretty excited to be able to finally cross this off the bucket list and thank you to the @mnwild and @ctalbot33 for the opportunity to create his Winter Classic mask featuring the twin cities and Minnesota Twins #mnwild pic.twitter.com/cr3E5Y3tZy
— Shell Shock Designs (@ShellShockCo) December 27, 2021
Ennis puts some nice hidden tricks into this mask as well, like the Minnesota skyline subtly in the red stripe, and stitching details around the lettering and crest to mimic the textures in the jersey. The tear marks in the stripes also help give this a more vintage-y, weathered look, which plays well for this kind of event. “We did only two sketches before he approved it, so it was a fairly easy process,” Ennis shared –– so a speedy process with a stellar outcome.
Kaapo Kahkonen, Minnesota Wild
Dave Gunnarsson, Daveart
Talbot’s teammate Kaapo Kahkonen also has a special mask for the Winter Classic, created by artist to almost everybody, Dave Gunnarsson. Leveraging the Winter Classic typography as the main design element, Gunnarsson places the “Winter” script diagonally down each side of the mask with “Classic” wrapping around the chin.
• More: HbD Interviews: Dave Gunnarsson
While the overall composition of this mask is fairly basic, Gunnarsson creates some nice negative space around the top with a row of illustrated pine trees. Overall, it has some nice Daveart tricks like light flares and holographic logos scattered around the negative space, but it’s lacking the more personal touches that make Talbot’s mask stand out.
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Dave Gunnarsson, Daveart
Jordan Binnington, whose masks we’ve often been critical of, took a pretty traditional route for the 2022 Winter Classic, while paying homage to some of the great netminders of St. Louis past.
Tucked behind the large notes on each side are loose illustrations of Blues’ legends Glenn Hall and Mike Liut, who coincidentally is also Binnington’s agent. As Binnington told NHL.com, “I figured on top of the percentage I give him from my salary, I should also showcase him a little bit and give him some love.”
Binnington recently debuted his pads that he’ll be wearing along with this mask and the Blues’ throwback sweaters, which all tie cohesively together in both color palette and style. The distressed cream colored background on the mask plays nicely off the cream base of the sweaters, and the powder blue and yellow bring just enough punch while still keeping that soft, vintage-y look. Overall, a nice piece from Gunnarsson that suits the event well.
What do you think of the 2022 Winter Classic masks? Let us know in the comments, or on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook!
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