December 23, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets For most professional goalies, a mask is not just a mask - it's an opportunity to express themselves and show the things that are most important in their lives. This past week, we sat down with Comets goaltenders Joacim Eriksson and Joe Cannata to learn about the designs on their current goalie masks.

Designed by Swedish artist David Gunnarsson and completed this past July, Eriksson's mask sticks with the green and blue color palate of the Canucks and Comets. On the top of his mask, he has a blue killer whale bearing its teeth. On the right side, Gunnarsson placed the Canucks orca, "Johnny Canuck," along with the faded green seal of the first team Eriksson ever played for, Hedusanda IF. The chin of the mask shows Eriksson's nickname - Jocke - highlighted with a white background and grey writing. This is the only area on the mask where white is the predominant color. The back of the mask features the Swedish flag in its traditional colors, blue and yellow, along with the initials "JL," which stand for one of Eriksson's dear friends who passed away in a car accident. "I really wanted him to be on it," Eriksson stated.

Eriksson is no stranger to custom masks, as this is his fifth (he had four while playing in Sweden). Despite being extremely happy with his current mask, he excitedly explained that he plans to get a new mask in the next couple of months. "I want it to have a dragon and a warrior," he described. "With flames...I think it's going to be really cool." Eriksson plans to keep the same color scheme. Eriksson will return to David Gunnarsson for his next design.

Much like Erkisson, Comets goaltender Joe Cannata also has a green and blue themed mask. Designed a mere three months ago by artist Marlene Ross, Cannata's mask features the Canucks logo on top in the traditional colors. "I like that logo because it's also on the shoulders of the Comets jerseys, and if I go up to the Canucks, it will mean something up there," Cannata explained. The logo is breaking out of ice to symbolize the ice the team plays on. The sides of his mask simply show the breaking ice heading towards the front. On the chin, Cannata has his name placed in the Massachusetts license plate, so he always remembers where he came from. The back of Cannata's mask features "MC," which stands for Merrimack College, where Cannata played for four years before entering the pro league.

"The favorite part of my mask has to be colors," Cannata answered. "The colors are a little brighter, so it tends to stick out on the ice. Marlene did a great job." When discussing past and future masks, Cannata explained that he looks forward to the summers, where he plans out his design for the next season.

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Comets Corner: On the Mask