Neuvirth's Paint Job Pays Tribute

Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth’s mask got a new look this year, and artist David Gunnarsson was kind enough to give us a sneak peek.

The intricate paint job is just the final step in what is a very involved process for the Sweden-based artist, whose mask gallery is incredibly impressive and worth browsing through.

“The goalies tell me what kind of style they want, if they want old school, or retro, or top modern,” explained Gunnarsson, who designed all of the Caps' masks last season. "After the goalie and I have talked, I do some research and thinking and sketching. I present a design idea for the goalie and then I start to paint. It’s a very fun process.”

Gunnarsson says that the requests from the goalie can range from cartoon to realistic to horror --  and everything in between. As you can see from Neuvy’s mask below, he has decided to pay tribute this season to both his Czech roots and American team. 

“Neuvy always wants the castle from his hometown on his masks,” Gunnarsson said. “A very cool detail.”

Despite some rumored pics floating around, Gunnarsson insists that fellow Caps goalie Tomas Vokoun's mask has not been released yet. He did say that Vokoun prefers a "crisp and clear" look to his mask, so expect it to be very different from Neuvy's.




Questions, comments or tips? Email Sarah at sarahskogod@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Twitter (@sarahschorno).

Contact Us