The Montreal Canadiens are heading into the season with a trio of goalie masks that look more like custom art pieces than standard equipment, and each one leans into the same theme: reptiles.
Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes are both set to wear new masks made by Sylabrush, the pairing of painter Sylvie Marsolais and Alexandre Mathys, who handles design and ideas. Fowler’s mask borrows from the one he wore last March, only this time the gator tied to his Florida roots is red instead of blue. The back plate still carries the Quebec license plate, the motto “Je me souviens,” and a nod to Fix You: “Lights Will Guide You Home,” the song played at the Bell Centre when the Canadiens take the ice.
That detail also serves as a tribute to the woman who has become a fixture at Canadiens home games. If you get to the Bell Centre early, before warm-up, you can hear her practicing, and once the game starts she keeps the crowd moving with songs that fit the moment.
As far as we know, this is the first time a goaltender has featured her on his mask, though that will need to be confirmed when Montreal opens its home schedule on October 6. Fowler clearly appreciates her work, even if he won’t be hearing it in person for a while after being sent down to the Laval Rocket.
Still, he figures to be back sooner rather than later.
Dobes went in a different direction, but the inspiration is just as unmistakable. When he was asked last May how it felt to become a hero in Quebec, he answered:
“I’m just a goofy goalie who tries to stop pucks, and trust me, I don’t call myself a hero. I pretty much, I will go home, eat, watch Game of Thrones and go to bed.”
So naturally, his new mask pulls from Game of Thrones. It features Ghost, Jon Snow’s wolf, along with the Iron Throne, and each sword includes something connected to the Canadiens, whether it’s a version of the logo or simply Montreal.
The nickname “Dobby” remains on the mask, along with a Fleur-de-lis on one side, the team’s logo and Castle Black in the distance. On the other side, he has added the House Targaryen sigil and another Canadiens logo.
Samuel Montembeault, who has earned the right to back up Dobes with strong camp play, is still wearing the snake mask he introduced last season. Jordon Bourgeault painted it and described it as a literal play on Monty Python, since people sometimes call the Becancour native that. He also said snakes are badass and scary.
The design goes even further than that. There’s more than one snake on the mask, and even the Canadiens logos are rendered in snake skin. One snake is even made out of bones, which gives the whole thing an even bolder look.
Put Fowler’s gator, Dobes’ dragon and Montembeault’s python together, and the Canadiens suddenly have three masks with reptilian bite. That’s a long way from the old days when goalies stuck to the safest, most classic designs. Patrick Roy and Carey Price had their own memorable masks, but these three are in a different lane altogether.
In Other News...
Canadiens Sent David Reinbacher Down For A Bigger Reason
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The timing matters, too, because the Canadiens are getting healthier on the blue line. With Kaiden Guhle edging closer to a return, the immediate need for an extra defenseman has eased, leaving Montreal with a choice that favors development over depth. For now, Reinbacher stays where the games can give him more responsibility, even if the path back up becomes clearer again soon. [Read more 🡒]
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For now, Reinbacher should get the kind of heavy workload in Laval that can be harder to guarantee in Montreal, where the club had to balance roster spots, waiver concerns and its depth chart on defense. The door to the NHL is hardly closed, though, and if he keeps building through the season, the Canadiens are leaving themselves plenty of room to bring him back up when the timing makes sense. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Trade Interest Just Raised The Stakes For Kent Hughes
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Montreal had Kirill Marchenko in mind as a possible target before he was moved to Toronto, which forced the Canadiens to keep searching for another path. The Edmonton Oilers also showed interest in Dach, but Hughes appears to be holding out for a more significant trade opening, leaving the next move tied to whether a better fit comes available. [Read more 🡒]