Mackenzie Blackwood gives artist David Gunnarsson complete control of his mask designs… for the most part.
“I give him full artistic creativity, that’s his thing,” the new San Jose Sharks goalie told San Jose Hockey Now.
So Blackwood doesn’t take any credit for DaveArt’s Metal Shark concept. But Blackwood has three personal touches on every mask — and his own technical touch.
“I always put my nickname on it and my two pups on the back,” he said.
His nickname “Blacky” has been featured on his mask going back to his junior hockey days with the Barrie Colts through his first NHL team, the New Jersey Devils. The San Jose Sharks acquired Blackwood from New Jersey over the summer.
“I always want a white cage,” he also shared. “I’m like, ‘Hey, white cage’ and he always goes, ‘Hey, can you do darker?’ ‘Nope.’ That’s my nonnegotiable.”
“It’s visually nice to look through,” Blackwood explained.
He also shared a regular DaveArt technical touch.
“All the masks he does for me are matte finish,” Blackwood said. “He’s always done that for me. I think that’s just the path we’re on now.”
So along with the nickname, the matte finish and white cage were all present in his masks while playing for the Devils.
But what about the dogs?
Thanks to Blackwood, here’s a close-up look at his dogs, Benny and Valko.
Benny is actually short for “Benna”. She’s a German Shepherd. Blackwood explained that the breeder was also German and gave his dogs German names, that he kept.
Valko is a German shepherd male.
“We picked them up at three months old,” Blackwood said. “They already knew their names.”
Blackwood looked pretty good behind this mask in his San Jose Sharks debut last night, stopping 51 of 52 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
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