Blue Jackets Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky Decodes His Helmet

Sergei Bobrovsky designed his custom protective mask with Swedish artist David Gunnarsson, who paints and airbrushes by hand personalized helmets for about half the goalies in the NHL.

He has only one helmet he wears during every game, unlike some goalies who have different helmets that correspond with different jerseys. "I just like to keep it simple," he says. This is the helmet he wears at practice, too.

Bobrovsky chose a color scheme representative of the Blue Jackets' blue and red uniforms. The design incorporates both team logos-the star and the cannon.

His initials and jersey number, 72, are painted on each side of the helmet, as well as American and Russian flags.

A white brick wall is painted on the face of the mask. Likening himself to a brick wall, Bobrovsky is "tough to get through," he says. Red-brick details are also incorporated in the design.

Bobs, his nickname since he came to the U.S. to play for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010, is painted in bold red and blue ink below the metal cage, which he chose to paint white for mostly practical reasons. "It's the same color as the ice," he says. "You don't see the cage, so it's better for vision. And it's kind of cool."