All Time Senators Goalie Setups
Written by: AJ Bhuller
Hey everyone, where has February gone? Where has the season gone? With the trade deadline only a few short weeks away and the team in a weird state of ever-changing flux, I thought I would take the time to change gears. Thought about going the all-time Senators goalie masks route but that only ever ends one way (Lalime and his Martian). Being a massive goalie head and card-carrying member of the goalie union, let’s look at my opinion on the top five goalie setups in Senator’s history. Top to bottom, from pads to blocker, and trapper, and of course, the mask. I tried to stay away from the usual suspects and went with setups I really enjoyed over the years. The list was pulled from a pool of any goalie ever owned by the Senators, whether they played a game or not. Only criteria being, they had to have dawned Senators colors.
Matt O’Connor
His career with the Senators didn’t last long. He played his only NHL game with the Senators and posted a .912 save percentage, but he did so in style. A unique look on a custom set, not many goalies have gone the custom look on our Senators and its too bad. The color combinations on the Senators palette offers astronomical possibilities, but O’Connor took advantage of it and ran with it well. I loved the incorporation of the barber poll and the inverse black to white Patrick Roy type pad split. Really liked how the mask, though not fancy, complimented the set well. He gets bonus points for wearing my number of choice, 29! Its too bad he didn’t have success. I know many of us had high hopes. Would have loved to see him in the 2D logo.
Martin Gerber
Yes, I know, but I apologize to no one. Sensitive one for us Sens fans. The guy who was supposed to be the savior, the next big starter for the Senators at the time. Most of us would be surprised to know, he finished with a career .911 save percentage. Based on recent goalies, he did quite well for the Senators in comparison. What I will always remember about him is his gear, how often he changed it and how creative he got with it. You are going to see by this list, but I am partial to darker set ups. Black gear always did it for me and this set is so exception. This black base set up is amazing and went well with all the uniforms at the time. I always enjoyed when goalies used a team’s third color, in this case the gold as one of the main colors. Gold highlighted by the Senators red was perfect. Its too bad he changed this set shortly after and the Darth Gerber helmet would have gone better with this set.
Ron Tugnutt
I had no choice but to include this throwback. Ron Tugnutt is the reason I became a goalie, I looked up to him and idolized him until he retired. I still google him and try to keep tabs on him from time to time. His set ups were consistent from year to year, he found a look he liked and stuck to it. A few years saw the setup dawn some red accents, but the base pad design stayed the same. Its clean, simple but has still has style. My absolute favorite was the mask, a black base with the classic gold paint splatter was always my favorite. I am going to be doing a custom vinyl mask wrap soon and will be incorporating a version of the paint splatter to pay homage to this look. An absolute stud of a goalie for our Team, he owns one of the all-time best goals against average records in NHL history with 1.79 GAA in 1998-99. Okay, I am just gushing now, moving on!
Patrick Lalime
Okay, I know I said I’d stay away from this one. But to be fair, its not the one you think. I stayed away from the iconic and arguably best mask in Senators history to be different. This was the setup Lalime wore in his first season with the Sens. Later that year, he switched to the famous Martian mask, but this mask cannot be undersold. I loved the red bucket with the black cage and the cool Centurion riding the horse on the top, and don’t get me started on the pads. Pretty much all young goalies’ dream setup would have been a full Koho setup made famous by Patrick Roy. I remember going to goalie clinics when I was young and one of the kids had this full pro setup and we thought he was the absolute man. I was thrilled that at least one Sens goalie rocked this setup for a while. None other than the often-forgotten, one of the best goalies in franchise history Patrick Lalime.
Damian Rhodes
My favourite setup of all time, I know not everyone will agree and probably think I am going off the board with this one. I would be interested in everyone’s reaction to this choice, and this list in general. I always loved the darker, black setups. The red and white stripes on the old-school pads are just perfection. Such a clean look that worked well with the Jersey at the time. An unpopular opinion but this is my pick for the best mask in Senator’s history. I always thought the Leafs on each side looked like ears wrapping the mask, and the clean peace tower up top with a nice Sens incorporated initial plate on the front chin. It all just worked together so well, especially in the black uniform. In my opinion, an underrated goalie in Senators history as well. I always felt so confident when Rhodes took the net. The tandem of Rhodes and Tugnutt was the best of all-time for the Senators.
Not officially part of the list, but I thought I’d share a picture of my new setup, and help you understand my taste. My wife and daughter haven’t been to a game in a while, so I do not have a game, action shot. But this is the culmination of all my goalie gear admiring over the decades. Clean all black setup with some silver accents, and of course, an all-black bucket to boot. Martin Gerber would be proud!
