Painted Warrior Designs has created some of the most dynamic designs for goalie masks all over the world. As President and Designer, I work hand in hand with some of the greats of today's game in order to come up with the final result the goalie is looking for. Once I create the full color design, it is then handed over to Dave Thompson, my painter, and the artwork is transferred onto the mask, painted and then cleared for a durable and brilliant shine.

I started designing professional masks in 1991. Some of my clients have included Mike Richter, Curtis Joseph, Guy Hebert, Sean Burke and Jim Carey.

In 1995 Painted Warrior Designs became exclusive to Itech Sports. Joining Itech has given me a wider range of goaltenders to service including Colleges, Minor Leagues, Pros and International.

Goaltenders are a unique breed, so each one of their masks is unique in itself. For instance, Curtis Joseph's nickname is "Cujo". While creating his design, I played off this name and came up with a mad dog ripping out of the top of the mask. Some goalies are easy to please and others are very specific in their ideas. Guy Hebert of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim knew exactly what he wanted: The Duck's logo on top and wings on the side. I came up with about four designs to present to Guy and finally a design was agreed upon. Having a background in graphic art, Guy would make revisions to the designs I presented until he was satisfied. That was the first mask in Mighty Ducks history, A sentimental favorite of mine since I am such a Disney buff.

Working with the minor leaguers is interesting because you establish a relationship with goalies from the beginning of their careers. Designs at this level tend to be a little more elaborate because teams employ very artistic and colorful logos to go along with a creative team name. One of my favorite minor league designs was done for Chris Rogles of the Las Vegas Thunder in the International Hockey League. The city of Las Vegas lends itself to a wealth of design ideas. Of course we went the casino route and came up with one of the nicest masks in the league. The whole top of the mask incorporates the window of a slot machine. The center line is the payout with three Las Vegas Thunder Logos indicating a winner. The side of the mask is a pink flamingo and just underneath him is a fanned out Royal Flush. Directly in the middle of the chin is a casino chip with Chris's number in it. This is truly a beautiful mask.

Painted Warrior Designs is always busy creating new designs for "the men in the crease". Keep an eye out for the new designs on Itech masks worn by your favorite goalies. To view some of these masks along with masks from other mask makers and designers, click on the icons next to "view NHL" and "view Minor league masks".

Thank You,

Dennis Simone

Return to Painted Warrior Web Site