Darcy Kuemper unveils his new All-American goalie mask.

Veteran National Hockey League goaltender Darcy Kuemper is fresh off of the biggest season of his professional hockey career, one that saw him capture a Stanley Cup as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.

Kuemper could be forgiven for spending most of the summer celebrating his monumental victory, but this week we learned that Kuemper already has his sights set on the future. Kuemper will of course not be returning to the Avalanche this season having instead signed a lucrative contract with the Washington Capitals when free agency opened earlier this summer, a 5 year deal that carries an average annual value and salary cap hit of $5.25 million per season.

As a member of the Capitals, Kuemper will be in need of some new goalie equipment that better reflects the colors and the image of his new team, and by the looks of it he has been hard at work on his new mask for some time.

An instagram post from world famous hockey mask designer David Gunnarsson over the weekend has given us an early look at what Kuemper's new mask will look like and it would appear that the Canadian goaltender is going with an All-American theme for his time in Washington D.C. The mask not only features the colors of the Star Spangled Banner, with red, white and blue all featured prominently on the mask itself, but it also has some iconic imagery including the stars from the American flag and an image of a bald eagle which is also an iconic representation of the United States of America.

The whole thing comes together with the "Capitals" logo emblazoned on the side of the helmet and Kuemper's number being featured on the chin is also a very nicely added touch. The reaction to this particular mask thus far has been overwhelmingly positive, with fans from around the globe expressing their appreciation for this beautiful work of art from Gunnarsson.

You can take a look at the new art courtesy of David Gunnarsson just below: