Detroit’s Petr Mrazek has new pads, and they are glorious

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek has new gear, and it’s beautiful. Like Chris Mason did during his Winnipeg Jets days, Mrazek has the Red Wings logo going across the front of his new pads.

There’s no position player in sport that gets to show as much style as hockey goaltenders, and Detroit Red Wings netminder

Petr Mrazek is taking things to the next level with his new gear. Mrazek took a page out of

Chris Mason’s old Winnipeg Jets playbook, going with the Red Wings legendary logo split across his gear. A lot of goaltenders choose to go with team colors, but Mrazek’s design is unique and something that’s a welcome change from the whitewashed pads many goaltenders wear.

With an injury to Red Wings starter

Jimmy Howard that has seen him on the sidelines since Jan. 10, Mrazek, 22, was called upon to take over starting duties. Since that time, he has started the Red Wings last 13 games, posting a 9-3-0 record, including a 28-save shutout of the Colorado Avalance on Feb. 5. Both Howard and

Jonas Gustavsson are healthy now, though, so Mrazek could find himself headed to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. What a shame it would be if these pads don’t get their NHL debut this season. Mrazek has shown he’s able to play at a high level in the NHL, though, so maybe he and his new duds stick around while Gustavsson finds himself back in Grand Rapids. Mrazek’s not the only netminder to get a new piece of gear, though. From

David Gunnarsson at DaveArt comes the first look at

Pekka Rinne’s new mask.

The unique feature of this new mask is that the eye of the Predators’ logo glows neon green in the dark, something that will be interesting to see come anthem time in Nashville. Otherwise, the design is similar to what Rinne currently wears, and Gunnarsson calls it the "prequel" to Rinne's current 

Gladiator mask. This mask, Gunnarsson writes, is the mask that General Maximus used before he became the gladiator in the 2000 film starring Russell Crowe. As always, masks are better when they have some sort of story. It's interesting to see Rinne sticking with one theme.