'He always has neat ideas': A look at Connor Hellebuyck's newest goalie mask

The newest mask for Connor Hellebuyck. It features Lake Winnipeg, a bass and his dog Tinley. The mask was designed by Steve Nash, the owner of Eye candy Air. (Source: Winnipeg Jets/X. Sept. 15, 2023)

While rookie and training camps are good indicators that the hockey season is just around the corner, another marker is when new goalie mask designs start to be released.

On Friday, the Winnipeg Jets shared the 2023/24 rendition of Connor Hellebuyck's mask, which features his dog Tinley front and centre on the chin.

The cage also showcases a fisherman catching a bass on one side and a design of Lake Winnipeg on the other. On top, 'Jets' is written across the crown of the mask.

"He's into fishing like myself, so he wanted Lake Winnipeg…we got the whole lake on there with some mapping for islands and stuff. We put some water around it and we put his number in water. The other side, we got a bass because that's what he enjoys fishing for," said Steve Nash, the mask designer and owner of Eye Candy Air in Ontario.

Nash said he has been working with Hellebuyck since 2015 and always enjoys exchanging ideas for his latest mask.

"He always has neat ideas, different than what I'm used to painting on masks."

A lot of work goes into designing each mask said Nash, starting with ideas being bounced off each other and eventually arriving at an agreed design.

"(I) start going through the design bit by bit, so if there is a problem, I just go back and forth again with the goalie until he's 100 per cent. Then I clear coat it, lock it all in, lock all the paint in. I got to put at least five to six coats of automotive clear coat on there because it has to stand up to 80 mile an hour plus shots."

Nash has worked with several goalies over the years – his first NHL client was Tim Thomas – and now does work for Jonathan Quick and Martin Jones, along with Hellebuyck.

"It's awesome putting somebody's imagination onto the mask," he said. "If it was all my imagination, it would probably all look like the same thing."

When asked how long it takes to finish the artwork on any given mask, he said every client is different and it depends on what is being put on the helmet.

"For instance, Tinley, he took quite a while because he wanted him to look exactly like Tinley, not just a random dog. So Tinley took a little bit of time and then the bass on the side took a little bit of extra time."

Nash is always excited to see his artwork on the ice and he hopes this year's design will be the one to help them make a deep run in the playoffs.