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Circa 1965 - Matt's first mask. An absolute classic. Made 43 years ago by Matt's Dad, when Matt was 6 years old. No padding, no backplate, no top, just the 5 strap harness to hold it on. Vaseline was smeared all over the face, and the molded with plaster of paris to his face. (Matt's mother actually had to hold his hand for the 1/2 hour it took for the plaster of paris to dry. Entire face, nose, and mouth area were covered. Breathing was though a straw. SCARY for a 6 year old!!!)

Circa 1966 - Matt's favorite old mask.
A complete mold/cast of the front AND back of Matt's head. Still no padding, and held on with a bungee cord that attached on each side to keep it closed. (See small clips on sides of mask) Painted orange as Matt was on a "Flyers" team, and he painted it like his favorite goalie, Doug Favell of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Circa 1967 - The Mega Mask! When the idea of deflective ridges came out, Matt's Dad thought the way to make them was to simply build up and mold the fiberglass to achieve the ridge. (Not exactly correct....!) This mask has over 25 layers of 10 ounce fiberglass in the nose ridge and the ear ridges! This thing weighs about 7 pounds! All holes and vents were cut BY HAND with a hand drill and coping saw! It took over 4 months to complete.

Another VERY unique feature of this mask is the eye area. Note how the eyes "bulge out" a little? This is when Matt started wearing glasses, and the mold was actually taken with his glasses on! Vents were cut in the sides to allow air circulation so his glasses would not fog up! Still no padding.

Much To Matt's Dad's chagrin the mask was too heavy to wear, and was shelved for display after a short time. ("You're gonna wear that mask or I'll KILL ya........................." Matt's Dad).

Circa 1968 - A much better attempt at the ridge system, and again built over his glasses. A five ridge forehead system, (Compare with today's modern PROMASQUEs!) that deflected pucks very well. Note the cool paint job for the time, again following Matt's favorite, Doug Favell. Favell had been traded to the Toronto Maple leafs, and Matt HAD to change the paint work. This was an actual New Hampshire giant Maple leaf that was hand traced and painted on the forehead. Another really cool mask. Still no padding. OUCH!

Circa 1972 - Another cool mask where the ridges were removed. Note, again, the Favell paint scheme Molded to the glasses, and used in some higher level hockey. A local favorite. Still no padding.

Circa 1973 - Worn as a freshman in High school, Matt went back to the single ridge system. A heavy mask again, not worn for very long. "(If at first you don't succeed....") AGAIN the Favell paint scheme...Cool. Still... no padding in the mask.

Circa 1973 - The first mask of the time to use the now famous 18 ounce "Woven Roven" fiberglass that many masks and boats are built of today. Only 2 layers thick, but tough as nails. Note the cool smile face ala Rogie Vachon. This drove the shooters crazy...to see a goalie always smiling back at them. Worn when the Salem, Ma. AAA Midgets went to Montreal, Canada, and DESTROYED the local AAA Montreal Midgets. (GO U.S.A.!) Molded on glasses, no ridges. STILL no padding...

Circa1974 - This baby is cool! The first mask made by Matt where the plaster mold itself was built up to form the ridges, instead of simply building up the fiberglass. This saved a LOT of weight! A cool design which "V'd" away from the mouth area, and added a lot of comfort when hit there. Cool ridges in the forehead. This mask actually had some VERY thin PADDING under and above the eye area! Padding...What a concept!

Circa 1977 - The first mask made by Matt that included the Cage insert. Note that the cage was NOT screwed on, but simply glued with, yup, BONDO! A great idea, but not really long lasting. "Chunks of Bondo flying everywhere..." Worn when Matt went to UMASS Amherst in Massachusetts. This actually had a pretty good forehead padding system, conveniently "swiped" from a Cooper 600 helmet. A little in the cheeks too! Wow, what a pleasure to wear! Note the huge dents in the cooper cage. This baby stood up to some college play, and some pretty serious semi pro boys...

Circa 1984 - This was the last mask used before PROMASQUE was "Born". Actually state of the art for the time, included some pretty decent padding and the cage was screwed on! A wild (ya right...) Chicago Blackhawks Indian headdress paint job...whew...

Circa 1998 - When Matt's buddy and his top NHL goalie Dwayne Roloson, (now a standout in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers) went to the St. Louis Blues, He gave Matt back the mask that he actually wore in the NHL Stanley Cup Semifinals against Toronto! Roli played the first two games as Hasek was out with an injury. Although semi-retired from actual play (after 7 knee and 2 shoulder operations) Matt uses this mask with pride. To be able to wear a mask that was actually used in the NHL and made by Matt...... His dream had come true!

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