Unmasking Hockey Masks

This book here is from 1977. It is called Hockey Masks And The Great Goalies Who Wear Them.

Published by Tundra Books and written by Michael M. Cutler, the book features paintings by the author that replicate the goalie masks of Ken Dryden (cover), Pete Lopresti, Dan Bouchard, Gerry Desjardins, Mike Palmateer, Curt Ridley, Glenn Resch, Ed Giacomin, Dave Dryden, Gilles Gratton, Bernie Parent, Gilles Meloche, Joe Daley, Ron Low, Rogie Vachon, Gerry Cheevers, Ed Staniowski, Denis Herron, Michel Plasse, and Vladislav Tretiak.

Cutler came back with a 22 page bilingual follow-up book in 1983. Grant Fuhr's mask graced the cover of Great Hockey Masks.

Cutler's books may have been the first books ever dedicated to the art of the goalie masks. Fast forward to 2008 and we have two noteworthy publications completely dedicated to goalie mask art work.

The first is Wiley's Saving Face: The Art And History Of The Goalie Mask. Written by Jim Hynes and Gary Smith research the complete history of the goalie mask in great detail. Their work on the mask's evolution and key innovators makes for fascinating reading. Of course the book also doubles as a brilliant coffee table book as 150 masks are pictured.

Then there is The Hockey News' special interest publication The Greatest Masks Of All Time. It is essentially a collector's edition magazine special, not a book. Still, THN comes through with brilliant photography and a brigade of top writers to keep you busy for hours. THN's title tends to be slanted much more towards recent and current goalies.

Goalie afficionados looking for new hockey books about puckstoppers should consider Patrick Roy's biography (written by father Michel Roy) and Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems