Barring a catastrophe, when the puck drops on the 2023-24 season, the Leafs will be running a goaltending tandem of Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll. Samsonov earned himself a raise with his play last season, landing a $3.55M arbitration award to stay in Toronto for another year with the hope of staying long-term. Woll put up stellar numbers at both the AHL and NHL levels last season and is looking to secure a permanent gig with the big club out of camp, which appears highly likely.
On Wednesday, Samsonov unveiled a new mask with a very obvious inspiration. Curtis Joseph's iconic CuJo mask. There are differences, it's not an exact copy by any means, but it's clearly Sammy's take on the coolest Leafs mask of all time. As a huge CuJo fan growing up, I can't help but be in love with this new design.
As a new Leaf, Joseph Woll's mask game is unknown to many. His first mask last season featured an eagle on the top, but a second mask was clearly inspired by Ed Belfour's patented bald eagle paint job. Having the Leafs 1A and 1B goalies both wearing tribute masks to the Leafs goalies of my childhood? Sign me up!
At this point, if Martin Jones wants any chance at winning the unofficial but absolutely real coolest mask contest in the Leafs dressing room this season, a Felix Potvin tribute is his one and only option. Honestly, as Leaf fans, we don't ask for much. Please just let us see tributes of the three best Leafs goalie masks of the past 30 years all on the same team in the same season!
