Igor Shesterkin turns back the clock with amazing new mask

It goes without saying that the two best goaltenders in the illustrious history of the Original 6 New York Rangers are none other than Mike Richter, who led them to the 1994 Stanley Cup, and Henrik Lundqvist, who is the franchise's all time leader in victories. Both men rightfully have their jersey number hanging in the rafters of the iconic Madison Square Garden, where the Rangers have played since 1968. 

But there's a new goaltender who is trying to make his case to eventually be included in the list of all time franchise legends, and that would be reigning Vezina Trophy winning goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who enjoyed a true coming out party last season with a campaign for the record books. He also garnered consideration for the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL's most valuable player. 

NHL goaltenders are certainly among the more unique athletes in professional sports, as they're allowed to showcase their personality with elaborate customized artwork on their masks. And while there have been some great lids in Rangers history, Shesterkin is turning back the clock with his latest mask design that pays tribute to Richter.

The mask artwork was released today, courtesy of Swedish artist Dave Gunnarsson, who counts 3/4 of all NHL goaltenders among his massive clientele list and was also Lundqvist's mask artist. 

And as always, Gunnarsson includes a detailed description of the design: 

"NewDaveArtMaskAlert 🚨More new paint from the paint barn HQ…🛩️⭐️👊🏻 It was so exciting to paint and create Igor Shesterkin’s latest Rangers mask🗽⭐️. Igor had an awesome idea, he wanted the mask to pay tribute to legendary Rangers goalie Mike Richter⭐️, and the year of 1994..🤩 The design is created in Richter’s crisp mask style mixed with Shesterkin’s mask style🔄. All in a clean and classic retro 2-D solution👊🏻. Thank you Igor for the paint ride! 🤓❤️🙏🏻 @shesterkinigor @nyrangers @nhl@DaveArtFamily #DaveArtTheCradleOfCreativity mask: @bauergoalie"