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Jonathan Quick’s mask doesn’t say ‘support our troops’ this time, it just implies it (Photo)
Jonathan Quick learned a valuable lesson in 2010: if you're going to make a patriotic statement on your Olympic mask, do not, under any circumstances, use words.
It's a lesson goaltender Julie Vetter of the women's U.S. Olympic team learned just two weeks ago, when the International Olympic Committee invoked Rule 51 on the back of her mask, forcing her to remove "We the people".
Rule 51 bans any sort of advertising, demonstration, and/or propaganda on an athlete's equipment at the Olympics, and it's very liberal about what constitutes propaganda. (But, hey, so is Russia in general, so what are you gonna do?)
Four years ago, the IOC told Quick his 2010 backplate, below, wasn't allowed to say "Support our troops":
Fortunately, this time around, Quick stayed a step ahead. While the three words from his 2010 mask may not be allowed, one can imply much the same thing with a picture (which is worth 997 more words anyhow). Hence, this year, his backplate simply features a portrait of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and that's what you're looking at above.
The patriotic illustration was done, as it usually is for Quick, by Steve Nash of EyeCandyAir, using pencil, paintbrush and airbrush. It's based on a U.S. Army Photo taken by Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr. of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), who maintain a 24-hour vigil at the Tomb.
Here's the rest of the mask, which features a battle armour look with some American flourishes.
Good job by Quick on getting around the rules this time. Although we're still wondering why Slovakia didn't have to get nearly as creative.
s/t to InGoal Magazine.
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