circa 1944 to 1952 macgregor-goldsmith mask

This unique item highlights the co-evolution of hockey goalie protective and baseball protective equipment in the 1940s and 1950s before they diverted. NHL goalies often wore re-purposed baseball gloves as catching gloves during this time period. This mask was made by the MacGregor Goldsmith company, which was most well known for producing baseball equipment and less so, equipment for other sports such as football. This mask style was originally designed to be worn as a safety for athletes with glasses and particularly marketed towards goalies in hockey. This mask has elements consistent with early baseball equipment as well. The cage is an interesting pre-cursor to and somewhat reminiscent of a contemporary cat-eye cage design which does not allow pucks to travel through it while maximizing visibility. Of course the protection value is minimal at best, but it is still a cool piece from the evolution of facial protection in sport.