Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin explains why he had a plain white mask in game against Jets
Winnipeg Jets fans are known for their “White Out” playoff games. And it seemed to rub off a little bit on New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
When the Russian keeper skated onto the ice at Canada Life Centre on Thursday, he was wearing a plain white mask with no design or logos. And then, he wore it for the rest of the game, puzzling fans who were used to seeing his more traditional blue, red and white buckets on a nightly basis.
The Rangers ultimately won the game 6-3, with Shesterkin stopping 23 of the 26 shots sent his way for a save percentage of .885. Still, it was two points the team will be proud of, especially after scoring six goals on seven shots against U.S. Olympic star, Connor Hellebuyck.
After the game, Shesterkin was questioned about the… bold new look. In the end, the reasoning behind it was quite simple.
“I don’t know. New color. I like it,” Shesterkin told reporters after the game. “I just (got) a new mask for myself, so I didn’t have the time to make it any color. It looks like, I don’t know, emergency goalie right now.”
Igor Shesterkin talked about the white mask he debuted today vs. Winnipeg: "New mask. I did not have the time to make it any color. I was like an emergency goalie right now" 😂
It’s not uncommon for NHL goalies to go through multiple masks during a season. Most have a few on the go at any given time. But seeing a goalie wearing a plain mask for a team they already play for, mid-season, is definitely unusual.
Jonas Hiller was famous for wearing a flat black mask throughout his NHL career. Martin Gerber wore a black lid during the 2007-08 season, one of the best of his career. These days, with vinyl wraps becoming much more common, most goalies will have a new design nearly instantly after a trade.
For Shesterkin, though, we’ll have to see what’s next.
The 30-year-old has a 21-12-6 record with a .912 save percentage for the Rangers this season. Shesterkin has an all-time career record of 183-100-28 with 22 shutouts and a .917 save percentage over seven seasons, making him one of the best goaltenders of his generation.
And, hey, if the white mask keeps working, could he keep it around?
“Yeah, for sure,” Shesterkin said post-game, with a smile.