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VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Canucks goalie Braden Holtby is apologizing after the artwork on his new custom-painted mask was criticized for appropriating First Nations art. “I wanted to make sure I apologize to anyone I offended. It was definitely not my intent and I definitely learned a valuable lesson through this all and will make sure I’m better moving forward,” Holtby said in an interview with CTV News. Pictures of Holtby’s custom-designed hockey mask were posted by artist David Gunnarsson on Instagram, but taken offline the next day after comments on social media began describing it as appropriating First Nations cultures....

TORONTO — David Ayres was sitting in the stands with his wife at Scotiabank Arena when Carolina Hurricanes goalie James Reimer went down with an injury. The on-call emergency netminder in Toronto, Ayers left his seat and got half-dressed into his gear on the off-chance something might happen to Carolina's second option, Petr Mrazek. Midway through the second period, Ayres noticed his cellphone started to blow up. What he didn't realize was that Mrazek had been hurt in a scary collision with Maple Leafs forward Kyle Clifford and was down on the ice. "One of the equipment guys came in...

A 14-year-old’s choice of goalie mask customization has people debating if the art is appropriate. Painted by Doug Wagner for the teen who plays for the Palmyra Black Knights, the mask shows President Donald Trump holding a trowel and brick, building a wall, USA Today reported. The mask was commissioned and paid for by the teen’s parents, who Wagner said, own a business in Central Pennsylvania and Trump supporters, USA Today reported. They paid about $900 for the mask and design.

Hopefully for the Minnesota Wild, goalie Josh Harding stays healthy on Wednesday night, because their backup is 51 years old. Paul Deutsch, who runs a printing business in Richfield, Minn., is filling in for Niklas Backstrom, who's out for personal reasons, and Matt Hackett, who couldn't make it to St. Paul from the team's AHL affiliate in Houston in time. Deutsch, according to the Star Tribune, is a friend of former assistant coach Mike Ramsey and filled in for Wild goalies in the past, but only in practice.

It began in 1959. After experimenting with designs off the ice for months, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante felt he had found the right kind of goalie mask to use for protection in a game, but there was just one problem. He wasn't allowed to use one.It wasn't just that no goalie before him had ever worn a mask during a game in the NHL, but that his coaches, including head coach Toe Blake, thought it would hinder his vision, and therefore told Plante he would not be able to wear the mask.Talk about tough love, and especially for a goalie...

CHICAGO (CNS) -- The puns are obvious: "Who IS that masked man?" "'Stick' with me, kid." And, of course, "Hey, fella, you're on thin ice." But in this case, the "fella" would be Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki -- all dressed up in a Chicago Blackhawks uniform and ready to take to the ice at the United Center. Neither is it all for show. Bishop Paprocki, 53, has been involved with hockey for a long time -- as a fan and a player. He was profiled in the December issue of USA Hockey magazine, where he was pictured in...