On Thursday, the Arizona Coyotes will be celebrating a throwback jersey night and Coyotes goalie Mike Smith will be wearing a special mask just for the occasion.
The mask looks pretty straightforward from the front as artist David Arrigo incorporated a throwback Coyotes logo and a classic colorblocking scheme.
All in all, a pretty nice looking and pleasant helmet design for a throwback night, right?
Nothing horrifying at all, right?
WRONG.
This is the backplate.
According to Arrigo, he had to push for the Cooper-look because Smith originally wanted to have the Coyotes moon logo on the back of the helmet instead.
Smitty was looking for a clean break all around including the backplate. In contrast, I push as much as possible to have something on the mask that have people look twice.
He wanted the Coyotes moon logo vs. I was looking for something more entertaining and had a punch. Enter Alice Cooper, Rock Star, Arizona resident and Coyote fan.
What is more retro than Alice Cooper! I thought the image of Alice’s unique look on the backplate would really make this a conversation piece (not to mention I think it would look cool as heck!).
There’s no denying that the Cooper mask looks cool as heck. It’s a shame that the mask will only be a one-time deal because Smith would be able to scare the bejeezus out of his opponents whenever he turns his head.
[David Arrigo] via [For the Win]
Images via David Arrigo
