When Ben Bishop suits up for the Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey in September, he will be doing so in style. The veteran goaltender revealed the mask that he will wear for the tournament on Twitter, and it’s definitely one of the more interesting masks out there.
Really excited to rock this at the World Cup in September! Thanks DaveArt #usa #tamapbay #worldcupofhockey pic.twitter.com/QfreDM7z9d
— Ben Bishop (@Benbishop30) July 23, 2016
When Bishop laces up his skates for the Tampa Bay Lightning, he wears a mask that has glow-in-the-dark functionality and highlights lightning bolts. With the United States team at the World Cup, Bishop will be wearing a similar mask that highlights the Team USA logo, as well as the letters “USA” on the side replacing what would usually be “Bolts.”
The helmet was designed by goalie mask artist David Gunnarsson who has made a habit out of creating glow-in-the-dark masks for World Cup goaltenders at this point. Through Instagram, Gunnarsson revealed the mask that Finnish goaltender Pekka Rinne will be wearing at the World Cup. Bishop, however, was the first goalie to officially announce a new mask for the World Cup.
Bishop will be sharing the crease with Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings and Cory Schneider of the New Jersey Devils for Team USA. All three goaltenders are qualified to log significant minutes for their country, so the competition should be steep to start the tournament.