List of the most popular hashtags for theme #DONSTRAUS

Some original Armadilla goodies from my personal collection. Freshly refurbished original shell waiting for the Hollywood paint and one of the most iconic mask design of all time, Beezer Original artwork and masks were made by @donstrausdesign Check out @vintagegoalie14 and his cool 'A Legends Tribute' for Armadilla masks and Don Straus #vintagegoalie #armadilla #donstraus #goaliemask #beezer #sourceforsports #sourceforsportslondon #hrudey #nhlretro #nhl #goaliegearnerd

Incoming....a brand new, custom paint job by the man behind the Armadilla himself, Don Straus. Don created this work of art for Steve @schulz_steven, fellow vintage goalie. Thanks Steve for sharing your new treasure!! Armadilla Ts are still available at vintagegoalie.ca. #donstrausdesign #armadilla #LegendsTribute #DonStraus #VintageGoalieBrand

Another chapter of the Armadilla brought to light, courtesy of @vintagegoalie14 Still bordering on surreal seeing history replayed like this! Posted @withrepost • @vintagegoalie14 Project Armadilla: The 'Beezer' Years - Don was invited into the NYR pre-training camp festivities at the request of another goalie. With anticipations high, he packed up his kit, a handful of sample masks, and hit the road! While waiting with the trainer in his room, with all the masks splayed out on the floor, who goes cruising past the open door, but John Vanbiesbrouck! I'll let Don take it from here... "you could literally hear the screech of his running shoes on the concrete as he stopped, reversed, and poked his head around the door frame. ‘Who’s masks are those?’ Trainer jerks his thumb at me, and says ’This guy’s’. Introductions were made, and John asks if there is one he can try, when he hits the ice for a scrimmage in a few minutes. The answer was yes! After the skate, John cruised to the boards, motioning with is hand around the side of his head, and said ‘I got hit once. Over here somewhere, I think. How do I get one of these?’ Certainly not what I thought my day would have turned out like! On the opening day of training camp, one week later, Beezer hit the rink wearing his new Armadilla Mask. For the rest of his career, we had a lot of fun. He was respectful enough, and pretty much gave me complete freedom to create what it was I thought he needed. The only times I remember him offering up a suggestion, was when he went to the Panthers (‘Can I have something like what you did for Hayward?’) and when he went to Philly, 'just do something cool!’. One of the best working relationships I’ve ever had - regardless of industry!" TRIVIA: Was this the first Dilla that the Beezer wore in NY Know the answer? Prove it . (Photo Courtesy @donstrausdesign) #LegendsTribute #projectarmadilla #armadilla #bees #DonStraus #beezer #Newyork #USA #goalie #goaliemask #Vintagegoalie

…and then this happened! It was that time of year, for the annual pilgrimage to the annual CSGA (Canadian Sporting Goods Association) trade show. It was the time, when all manufacturers worth their salt - perceived or otherwise - humped their trunks of stuff to Montreal to dazzle prospective buyers. Being the new kid on the block, and ready to embark on my own career journey, I followed the caravan. This was a mission of pure recon. Pure observation, note-taking, absorbing every little bit of info I could get my hands on. This was also the year - and chosen venue for the debut of the newly minted San Jose Sharks’ logo and jerseys. BOOM! Minds are blown. Not just mine, but everyone (well, maybe only 97%) who was there at the unveiling. Cool logo, crazy colours! After the buzz of the day, the caravan relocated to Biddle's Jazz and Ribs. For jazz. And ribs. Talk eventually rolled back to the Sharks’ new gear, and I slid my beverage off it’s napkin, and sketched out what I felt a Sharks mask should look like. A simple, harmless doodle. The evening ended, the crowd dispersed, and armed with my newly doodled napkin, I rolled back to the shop in Waterloo, and transferred the sketch to an actual mask - an ‘artist’s proof’, if you will. Happy with the finished result, that Armadilla was put up onto a shelf, and I continued to take care of business for my business. There the mask sat, up on a dusty shelf, for the next 4ish months, until the team members were revealed…. #armadilla #donstraus #projectarmadilla #vintagegoalie14 #original #icon #goaliemask #goaliemaskart #goaliemaskdesign #napkinsketch #goaliegear #maskdevelopment #earlydays #donstrausdesign #goodenoughaintgoodenough #whenoldschoolwasnewschool #nhl

#Repost @vintagegoalie14 with @get_repost ・・・ The Man, the Mask, the Legend, Don Straus @donstrausdesign. It was an true privilege to meet the mask builder and artist of the Armadilla mask! Don is the creator of some of the games most iconic masks and designs - LaForest, Hayward, Vanbiesbrouck, Hrudey, etc (swipe to see a few)...your contributions have a significant place in goaltending history! Thanks for fitting me into your Friday and I'll be in touch bud. #DonStraus #armadilla #maskbuilder #goaliemask #goaliegear #masklegend #goalieequipment #PioneersOfTheGame

Posted @withrepost • @vintagegoalie14 Project Armadilla: A New Franchise: one of my all time favourite Dilla designs; John Vanbiesbrouck's Panther(VGB). Don tells the story, "can you get me something like what you did for Hayward?" says the Beezer. The call came in after John found he was to be a Florida Panther. "Off to the library I went for panther images. Remember 1993? No internet - research was done by searching through books! An awesome looking, realistic panther head, open jaws - just what he was looking for, arrived just in time for the pre-season team photo shoots and trading card sessions. As cool as it was, upper management suggested that something more ‘team coloured’ might be a good idea. Understandable, as their new uniforms - dark navy, red, and gold, were too striking to ignore. It was a short trip back to the drawing board for this. Combining the requested ‘open mouth’ style, and the team’s request for colour adjustment, the layout rolled off my pencil very smoothly. No pre sketches, no renderings, no net! Sitting on my front porch that evening, it was laid out directly on John’s new shell. No struggle, no eraser, no grief - it just flowed. The next day at the shop, the paint process followed suit, and within 24 hours of getting the call, the shell was ready to move to final assembly!  I had a feeling that this one would be special. Didn’t quite know why. Just felt it in my gut. It just felt right having the pattern drop into place, and the layering of those distinctive colours! Doesn’t always happen, but when it does… The original, realistic Panther did see some love over the years, with John bringing it to the show for a few games. After all these years, it still brings a smile to my face recalling this story." - Don Straus. (Photo source: Vintage Goalie Brand). #projectarmadilla #armadilla #panthers #beezer #florida #Vintagegoalie #goaliemask #throwbackthursday #TBT

Posted @withrepost • @vintagegoalie14 Mask Monday- Project Armadilla is close to wrapping up so we thought it would be appropriate to post a few more iconic Dillas that made their mark in mask history. I love them all but personally speaking, Beezers paint job while with the Flyers was unreal: the glitter and sketch effect?!?.. amazing!!! Don, when it came to mask designs, you were ahead your time. (Image source: Don Straus). #projectarmadilla #armadilla #maskevolution #MaskMonday #DonStraus #goaliemask #goaliemaskart

Thanks again Matt, for another chapter in the Vintage story! Posted @withrepost • @vintagegoalie14 Project Armadilla: Nexstop - LAX! Already being a huge fan of Kelly Hrudey's game, his setups were legendary. His 'Hollywood' Armadilla mask was unreal, one of my all time favourites (not to mention his wicked setups by Vic/McMartin, Brown, Cooper, to name a few ...oh, and the bandana). Don goes onto tell the story behind the mask. "With the help of a couple of very helpful agents, plans were set in motion to fit Kelly Hrudey for an Armadilla. My next task, was to create a visual worthy of Kelly, the Kings, and the city of Los Angeles! This was a project that I had a lot of help with input. Friends, agents, and associates were all doing their best to help provide a Canadian with a crash course in the fine points of the city. During my relatively short stay in LA, a lot of sights were seen, a lot of postcards were gathered, and a lot of doodles were doodled. Back at the studio, combining so many iconic ideas/visuals onto one multidimensional structure proved to be the challenge. This was - by far - the most ‘ingredients’ I’ve ever had to arrange into a tasty soup! The last drop of coffee was drunk, and the last haze of overspray had settled. The pieces of Kelly’s ‘Hollywood’ puzzle were fit into place. Truth be told, I had to cut a few of the pieces to fit, but the puzzle was complete - with a splash of purple, as a nod to the Kings of yore. Looking back, this was probably the time when my main focus/concern/purpose shifted from the structural aspects of the mask, to the artistic. The concept, and physical components were set, and had certainly proven themselves. The ongoing, ever changing aspect of the art wasn’t anything that was ever ‘finished’. New project. New challenge.". (Photo Source: Don Straus, circa 1995). #projectarmadilla #armadilla #hollywood #kings #hrudey

@vintagegoalie14 looks deeper into the drive and inspiration for the design and creation of arguably the most advanced goaltender mask ever built. Cool cutaway pic of an actual Armadilla! Posted @withrepost • @vintagegoalie14 Project Armadilla: In conversing with Don...what makes an Armadilla an Armadilla? "It was all based on a ‘clean sheet’ design; with very little influence from the masks that arrived before it." An important factor to note, Don was not a goalie nor a hockey fan. He was not conditioned or influenced by the position, in seeing the mask a certain way.His mission statement was clear: to design the best, excuse-free, no holds($) barred-piece of protective headgear for goalies. Style and fit had to be approached first. He knew that original masks were molded from a goalie's face, providng a good fit, however he also knew that it allowed/encouraged any impact to be distributed evenly . Don's approach was to 'move' those forces from 'directly impacting' the goalie's face/head. Digging into the 'Indy car chest' of experience, he relied on what he knew; aerospace materials, prepreg resins, and crazy, overkill manufacturing techniques & processes. "After all the dust, blood and tears settled, the goal was achieved - probably surpassed. The lightest and the most protective goalie masks ever built, the Armadilla was the first mask to successfully pass the CSA gauntlet." - Don Straus, maker of the Armadilla mask @donstrausdesign #DonStraus #projectarmadilla #armadilla #goaliemask #goaliegear #maskdevelopment