Goalie masks are a big deal in the hockey world. When you watch a game on television, you barely notice the intricate details that make up the mask, but that's not stopping Olympic officials from forcing American goaltenders from covering up certain parts of their masks.
The back of Ryan Miller's mask had the words "Miller Time" painted on it, which the International Olympic Committee deemed to be too close to advertising, according to The Associated Press. That's not all though, as the IOC wants Miller to cover up the words "Matt Man" underneath, which is a tribute to his cousin who passed away in 2007 at the age of 18. That's something that Miller is not willing to cover.
"I’ll contest," Miller told Yahoo. "My aunt and uncle and my family, it’s important to them. It’s important to me. I’m going to stand up for that."
Miller said he wasn't trying to cause any controversy with his mask.
"I’m not trying to be flashy," he told Yahoo. "I’m just trying to have some fun."
Miller is not alone, however, as fellow American goaltenders Jonathan Quick and Tim Thomas have been asked to cover parts of their masks. Quick had the message "Support Our Troops" on his mask, which was deemed as political propaganda by the IOC.
Thomas was asked to cover a part of his helmet, according to a Reuters report. Inspection of Thomas' mask shows only the initials of his children — "KIT, KOT, KAT" — painted on it.
The goaltender for the Canadian women's team, Shannon Szabados, was ordered earlier in the Olympics to remove her own name from her mask, but she was allowed to keep "FLM" on it, according to The Vancouver Sun. The letters stood for "Fight Like Matt," a tribute to a 22-year-old named Matt Cook who is battling cancer.
