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I am always excited to add a goalie mask to the collection, regardless if it is an old school fibreglass mask, a newer highly protective one with fancy artwork, or even an old cage mask. There's just something about the ultimate piece of goalie protection that connects you to the game and the player like nothing else out there. Before we get into the fun, don't forget to "LIKE" Bruce C. Goaltending Museum on Facebook and "FOLLOW" us on Twitter! All support is appreciated!

As everyone who knows me knows, I have a soft spot for goalies with short NHL careers as their stuff pops up far less frequently than superstars of any era and there is really no appreciation out there for them.

Born on April 9, 1970 in Toronto, Ontario, David Goverde, like countless other NHL goalies, got noticed while in the OHL. After a season and a bit with the Windsor Spitfires, Goverde joined the Sudbury Wolves in 1988 and played there through the 1989-90 campaign. From there, Goverde was drafted 91st overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1990 draft. By the next season, he had turned pro with Phoenix in the IHL, appearing in 40 games in his rookie season. The season thereafter, Goverde split his time between the AHL and IHL, however, like all of the tales represented by the pieces in the hallowed halls of my collection, his opportunity to play in "The Show" arose. On December 26, 1991, David Goverde was given the start in goal for the Kings against the San Jose Sharks. Goverde stopped 28 of 31 shots to record his first career win in his first career game. On top of that, Goverde joined a very exclusive club of fewer than ten goaltenders in NHL history who actually recorded an assist in their NHL debut. After a second game on the 29th where he surrendered six goals to the Calgary Flames he did not see NHL action again until the 1992-93 season. The next two games were unfortunately disasters for the young goaltender as he was defeated 6-3 and 10-3 respectively over his next two games. Despite this, he maintained decent numbers in the IHL. In 1993-94, he got one final opportunity at the NHL level, and once again, it did not go Goverde's way. He surrendered seven goals in the team's 7-4 defeat against Dallas on November 21, 1993. From there, he transitioned around the IHL, ECHL, and AHL until the end of the 1996-97 season. He then joined Phoenix in the WCHL, ultimately peaking out with a Taylor Cup win with them in 2000. He played an additional four seasons of minor-pro hockey before retiring at the conclusion of the 2003-04 campaign.

In his NHL career, David Goverde appeared in five games, recording a 1-4 record with a 6.26GAA, one assist, and a 0.808% save average. He appeared in zero playoff games.

What you are looking at right now is a Los Angeles Kings game worn Cooper goalie mask used by David Goverde. There is very noticeable wear on it and it features the LA Kings decals, as well as Goverde's #43 on the rear of the mask. Residue of the outline of the old Itech stickers on the neck protector can also be seen. Though photos of him are tough to find from his Kings stint, it is very possible that this mask was used for all five of his NHL games and practices with the Kings.

Acquired from: Jon Wheeler, world renowned goalie mask collector extraordinare

Dates of Game Use: Possibly all five of his NHL games between 1991-1994.

Photomatched: Referenced

Gotta love a game-used mask. This is epic!