Ideas for Painting a Goalie Helmet

As a hockey goalie, you have the opportunity to tell fans and other players a little about yourself by how you have your helmet painted. In recent years, goalie helmets have taken on a life of their own, becoming the star of the show. NHL goalies, and even goalies for public teams and kids' leagues, are airbrushing their helmets in different designs that incorporate colors, characters and scenes. If you are interested in following suit, you just need a few ideas to get you started with a design.

  1. Color Scheme

    • Choose a color scheme that matches your team colors, so that your helmet coordinates with your team uniform. The artist who is painting your mask will lay down a layer of white paint as a primer, so the sky is the limit when it comes to choosing the colors that best represent your team. You can also add a mascot for your team. The goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins sports a penguin on his helmet to show his allegiance to the team.

    Characters

    • Many goalies choose to have their favorite characters from television and movies painted on their helmets. For instance, one NHL goalie has a character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Casey Jones) painted on his helmet. Another NHL goalie chose the main character from the feature film "300." These goalies chose a character that they feel represents how they are in the hockey rink. If you have a favorite character, consider getting it painted on your helmet in various stages of the game. Pick a character that has a personality you plan to emulate in the rink, whether it is speed, strength or agility.

    Nicknames

    • Another way to show your personality in the rink is to use your nickname as inspiration for the design of your helmet. The professional goalie Curtis Joseph is known on the rink as "Cujo," the vicious dog from the movie of the 1980s. He had his mask painted with a snarling dog so everyone knows which helmet is his. If you have a nickname, consider finding a way to translate that nickname into an original design for your helmet, so other players know how to identify you.