Smith pays homage to Vernon with new mask
Mike Smith’s new mask might look familiar.
With the Calgary Flames going retro with their third jerseys, the veteran starting puck-stopper is also turning back the clock, paying tribute to one of the franchise greats.
The paint job on his new lid is an homage to the old-school helmet former Flames goalie Mike Vernon wore when he backstopped the Flames to the 1989 Stanley Cup.
“I’m not going to wear the helmet he wore, because you’d be stupid to do that nowadays,” Smith told reporters after debuting his new mask at Thursday’s practice at the Saddledome. “But my painter, David Arrigo, did an unbelievable job of making it as realistic as possible. “It turned out great.”
The Flames will don their retro uniforms for Saturday’s home opener in a rematch of Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on the West Coast.
The 36-year-old Smith will be between the pipes.