Minnesota Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper had some problems with his mask on Thursday night after a taking a Brandon Bollig snapshot to the head. As a result he had to skate over to the bench and grab the lid that normally belongs to Niklas Backstrom and finish the game with that.
Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper has to wear Niklas Backstrom’s mask
Darcy Kuemper’s mask was busted after getting hit, so he had to finish the game with Niklas Backstrom’s.
That may not seem like a big deal, but it’s still a new piece of a equipment that he’s not used to and could have, at least in some small way, impacted his performance.
Fortunately for the Wild it didn't as he stopped 33 shots to lead the Wild to a 2-1 win over the defending Stanley Cup champions.
It’s also another reminder that until the late 1950s goalies used to play games without protection on their face, which is still crazy to think about. It’s one thing to need a new mask. You can’t really go to the bench and get a new face.
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