Tampa Bay Lightning G Ben Bishop Unveils New Mask For World Cup Of Hockey

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop has unveiled a new goaltender mask for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto this September.

The off-season is always a trying time of the year for hockey fans. Thankfully, hockey fans will have a little bit of a respite this season. Just under a month before the 2016-17 Tampa Bay Lightning Home Opener, which is scheduled for October 13^th against the Detroit Red Wings, some of the best players in the National Hockey League will be headed to the Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Now, for those of you who are not familiar with the event, the World Cup of Hockey is an international tournament, similar to the Winter Olympic Games, where the best players from around the world converge in one place to represent their native countries in an international competition. This year’s event is scheduled to kick off on September 17^th and conclude on October 1^st.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have quite a few players headed to the competition. Leading the way is Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, defensemen Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman, forwards Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikita Kucherov and many more.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Another Lightning player headed to Toronto to take the ice with his teammates on Team USA is Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop. Previously, it was uncertain on whether or not he would be able to make his way to the tournament due to the injury Bishop has been rehabbing since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but according to Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman, Bishop should be good to go in time for Team USA’s World Cup Camp.

As you can imagine, one person who is even more excited than the Tampa Bay Lightning fans is Ben Bishop himself. Unsurprisingly, Bishop has a new piece of hardware to commemorate the event. Needless to say, it’s pretty awesome.

Ben Bishop took to his Twitter page to unveil a 360 degree view of his new goalie mask, which will be coming with him to the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Bishop’s new helmet looks strikingly similar to the one he wears when he takes the ice with the Lightning, but there are a few subtle changes to it. The most glaring of these changes is a large red and white USA logo in the center of the helmet.

The helmet still bears the light cycle lines reminiscent of the sci-fi adventure film Tron. The difference here is the lines spell out USA instead of the word Bolts that accompanies his normal helmet. Take a look for yourself.

Ben Bishop’s new helmet was once again designed by DaveArt, the company which designed the mask Bishop currently takes his ice with. Considering what an amazing job they did on Bishop’s previous mask, it’s no wonder he went back in search of another masterpiece.

Next: Steven Stamkos Setting The Bar In The Locker Room

If you are the same kind of fan we are and are counting the days until hockey is a part of our daily lives once again, we are just 50 days away from the start of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, 60 days from the first Tampa Bay Lightning preseason game, and 76 days away from the Lightning Home Opener. Tampa Bay Lightning hockey will be front and center before you know it.