St. Louis Blues Jake Allen Wise To Feature The Snake On His New Mask

May 23, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) blocks a shot against the San Jose Sharks in the first period in game five of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
May 23, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) blocks a shot against the San Jose Sharks in the first period in game five of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis Blues goaltender, Jake Allen is returning to the roots of his nickname with his new mask. It’s a great choice after last season’s misstep.

Who knew this space would become like fashion central for goaltenders. I already gave my review of Pheonix Copley‘s new St. Louis Blues inspired mask. Now Jake Allen has a new one of his own.

Allen has gone back to styling his masks after his nickname, Jake the Snake. While the former professional wrestler might still be the more famous person to use that moniker, Allen is making his own case.

Here’s a peek at what Allen’s new face protector is going to look like.

There are a few things that don’t appeal to me personally about the mask. I like the wings coming out of the forehead, but they also have a slight Roadrunner from the WB cartoons look.

Overall, the color scheme is not my favorite. It all meshes well, but I just don’t care for all the light blues. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn’t appeal to my eye.

Also, there are those same yellow and blue horizontal bars. They are not nearly as featured as Allen’s 2015-16 mask, but I just don’t like them for some reason. Too plain. I didn’t like his mask that he ended the season with either for the same reason.

St. Louis Blues
Dec 15, 2015; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) celebrates with teammates after the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. St. Louis Blues wins 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

There are several things that pop nicely though. The fluer de lis has always been a prominent feature on the St. Louis city flag.

It has only recently begun to be featured more prominently again. The gold on the fleur stands out nicely against the blue and the thin border will help the yellow to stick out since it becomes lost in camera glare at times.

I especially like the design on the sides. The snake pops very well and reminds me of the snake designs from 80’s cartoons like He-man and G.I. Joe.

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The bluenote is also very nice. There’s nothing overly special about it, but there is a hint of 3D to it with a few simple highlights to make it seem as though there is a dome effect on the note portion. The darker blue suits the logo quite well.

Lastly, I like the faded logo of the Blues 50th Anniversary. Similar to how Copley had a soft logo on the ears of his mask, Allen uses the new 50th logo up above his temples.

Unlike Copley’s, this one stands out enough that you will likely be able to see it without being up close. However, it is blended into the background enough that it doesn’t distract the eye from the main features of the mask.

It will be interesting to see what color cage Allen chooses. I would like to see a metallic gold finish for the bars, but those don’t seem to be chosen very often. Likely, it will simply be white, but we will see.

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Apologies to those that don’t care what goaltender masks look like. However, as a goaltending nut, I love to view these things and see all the little bits that go into them.

Allen may not have one, yet, that is unforgettable like some of Curtis Joseph’s, but he’s got a pretty good one going for his first full season as the man. Now, it’ll just be interesting if he comes up with a new one for the Winter Classic.