
Colorado's starting goaltender donned a new mask this season, which has a story to it — part of the state's history.
Alexandar Georgiev chose silver for his Colorado-themed goalie mask to commemorate the state's history and a successful time in it.
The 27-year-old netminder went to well-known Swedish mask designer David Gunnarsson with his idea of the Centennial State's "Silver Rush." It looks hand-sketched but Georgiev said he did not draw it up himself. Gunnarsson came up with all the artwork for the piece.
"Just put a little thought into it. I kind of had this idea that I wanted to have it Colorado-themed basically," Georgiev told The Hockey News' Colleen Flynn.
The theme is based on a period that lasted about 14 years or so in the state's history when silver was discovered in Leadville in the late 1800s. According to outtherecolorado.com: "In 1879, a silver discovery in the town of Leadville led to a rapid expansion of silver mining activity in the state of Colorado. With over $82 million in silver being mined during the boom, the event came almost exactly 20 years after the Pikes Peak Gold Rush."
Georgiev's mask also has 38 stars around the Avalanche logo since Colorado is the 38th state in the country.
One side of the gear has a couple of miners working in the mountains around what the Bulgarian native called "beautiful Christmas trees."
"My last mask was silver — my head went that way. I just think it looks very cool, kind of unique," Georgiev said. "I really liked Jonathan Quick when he was playing with the L.A. Kings. His silver mask was pretty epic."
While the Avs goaltender currently has the most wins in the NHL, he doesn't believe the color is particularly lucky. He just likes it and wanted to keep it for his new mask. Watch the full interview in the player above.