We got it and painted it blue."Īccording to InGoal Magazine, Osgood actually looked halfway around the world for a SK2000 shell. "I think it might have been Ozzie's helmet," DiPietro said. The Isles' equipment trainer did a sweep of eBay before locating one in a familiar place: former Islander Osgood. It disintegrates."ĭiPietro recalls a similar experience when he flipped to the Cooper helmet in March 2011. "Foam was the biggest thing, cause you know, the helmet goes in the bag and you're sweaty, and it's crushed and then uncrushed and then crushed again. "It was hard to find cages, it was hard to find the chin strap, it was hard to find foam," Healy remembers. When it arrived, the foam inside the helmet had the former owner's phone number on it in case it was ever lost. Where did Healy and Leafs trainer Scott McKay find his last helmet? "We got it on eBay from a beer league goalie." Finding parts also was incredibly difficult, and required some savvy outside-the-box thinking from equipment managers. The hockey division of Cooper was acquired by Bauer in 1990, and the modern mask pushed the once-conventional helmet into obscurity. Just getting the Cooper helmet was problematic. He immediately started bleeding and was so mad that he'd now have make a trip to the hospital that he flung his stick into the crowdless stands. Healy remembered one slapshot at the end of a practice with the Toronto Maple Leafs that caught him between the eyes. "Every single shot that you would get would be a pressure cut, and you'd have to go in and get stitches." Healy also raved about the visibility and comfort, but admitted that he traded plenty of stitches for those luxuries - at least 400 of them in his career. He says it was easier to see through, though it was certainly heavier than a normal mask, and would leave his chin exposed during scrums in the crease. The helmet put pressure on the forehead as opposed to the sides of the head, which was a main reason for DiPietro's switch. "I tried, and I'd make them shorter in the chin, longer in the chin, less foam and more foam. "I just couldn't get used to the other kinds of masks," he said. One goalie who stuck with the SK2000 design through a 15-year career was Glenn Healy. But it hadn't been too long before that that it was much more popular in the NHL. Joining DiPietro among the last known to wear the Cooper helmet were Osgood and Dan Cloutier, who actually pivoted to a regular mask after the Los Angeles Kings raised concerns about safety. I used to think it was such a good look." Maybe cause of Reggie - I used to love Reggie Lemelin maybe it's because he wore it. 1 overall pick of the 2000 draft didn't argue with the switch. It was a perfect alternative."īut the No. So they said the only way we will let you play is if you can find something that doesn't sit right on your face. They were afraid that if I got hit in the face that it would mess up the surgery. "I tried to put the regular helmet on, and it was so pressed against my face that I just couldn't do it. "It was the only alternative," said DiPietro, now an ESPN radio host. When DiPietro did return, he was forced to make a change to the Cooper helmet. The fight lasted one punch, with Johnson catching DiPietro square in the face and leaving him with facial fractures that ultimately held him out of action for more than two months. Within a few seconds, Penguins goalie Brent Johnson came the length of the ice and squared up himself with DiPietro. 2 of that season, the New York Islanders were trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins late in the game when Pens forward Matt Cooke made contact with Islanders goalie DiPietro, initiating a skirmish in the corner. But that legacy would last only two months before Rick DiPietro claimed that honor. You might remember it as the "Chris Osgood helmet." The three-time Stanley Cup champion was known for wearing the protective relic for his entire career, and when he last played an NHL game in January 2011, he was the final goaltender courageous enough to don one. In the end, few pieces of equipment generate as much nostalgia as the once-great Cooper SK2000 goalie helmet and HM30 cat eye cage combo. It was loved by some and criticized by others, but it will always bring a smile and shake of the head when remembered. It has now been 10 years since an NHL goaltending legend last showed its unique face before disappearing from the scene for good. Remembering the great Cooper SK2000 goalie helmet You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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