Ondrej Pavelec's new mask pays tribute to Bruce Springsteen

When you think about Winnipeg’s music scene, names like The Guess Who, Neil Young or even The Weakerthans might come to mind. But Jets goaltender

Ondrej Pavelec had a different idea for his new mask. Instead of going with homegrown music icons, Pavelec’s new mask will pay homage to a group of rock legends, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The mask, painted by David Gunnarson of DaveArt, features photos of Springsteen from just about every generation of his illustrious career.

There’s more to the mask than just the photorealistic airbrushing of Springsteen, though. The Jets logos on the helmet, in crisp blue, white and silver, are a beautiful touch, as is the silver maple leaf sprouting out of the top of the mask. Even at the base of the mask, the Jets logo contains especially fine detail with miniature jets inside it. Pavelec isn’t the first goaltender to go down the musicians-as-mask-art pat, however.

Jason LaBarbera’s masks have featured Pearl Jam and Metallica,

Carey Price has had one with country musicians Garth Brooks and George Strait on it and

Robin Lehner’s mask paid tribute to Swedish metal band In Flames this season. No word on when the mask will make its debut, but the Jets are hoping Pavelec and ‘The Boss’ will be able to help them lockdown one of the wild-card spots in the Western Conference.