A personal bit of sports kit

I know this won’t mean much to many of you, but as a Canadian kid who grew up skating and playing hockey on everything from the frozen rink my dad made on our driveway over many winters, to the local creek, to competitive play in big arenas across the Winnipeg area, I always wanted a custom goalie mask.

Since I returned to the ice after my dad died just shy of three years ago, then, I started to dream again about having a custom mask done. Considering it was my dad that taught me to play, and drove me at all hours to games and practices and tournaments over dark, snowy roads day after day, year after year, I wanted something that displayed my Russian-German background (that is, the fact that my German family – my dad’s parents – fled to Canada from Ukraine in wake of the Bolshevik Revolution).

In this respect, I was very lucky to find a second-hand helmet on ebay, which I immediately bought. When it arrived with me, it was light blue and white (like my old club colours), but two of my own kids transformed it into something more personal.

The front now bears the arms of the Russlanddeutschen (take note especially of the wheatsheaf in the claws of the double-headed eagle, representing our agricultural genius!), while the back bears the Ukrainian Tryzub. You see the same symbols on my custom jersey.

It is important to understand that the Russlandeutschen lived across what was then Imperial Russia, but that the majority lived in Ukraine.

I look forward to playing again early in the new year and showing it off. 🙂

In any case, I hope my little story is vaguely interesting to at least some of you…

Very nice mate.
I suspect your dad would approve.

Great looking helmet that, good to hold treasured memories.

I finally got some hope brakes and I know my dad being a retired brake pad designer/engineer would have approved and stripped them and rebuilt just to check they were designed well and how they worked.

We are both so lucky to have had great dads to bring us up

Great story & a nice bit of “working” memorabilia ..hope it keeps your noggin safe!

Nice story SR!

Beautiful – sort of thing I’d own even though I have no practical use for it.

What I can’t believe is they used to pay goalie without one 😯

And note I read the thread title, got as far as ‘goalie mask and thought it was a euphemism!

What I can’t believe is they used to pay goalie without one

I know, eh? I was a huge fan of Ken Dryden growing up, and even then his mask looked thin. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to play in the era of ‘Gump’ Worsley and Jacques Plantes!

Great story- personalised kit is hugely precious to sports people- I’m currently debating some custom designed roadie shoes for sunny days…