For Abbotsford Heat goalies Leland Irving and Matt Keetley, it's hard to imagine what the life of a goaltender was like 50 years ago, when netminders stared down slap shots without any facial protection.

They can thank the hockey gods for Jacques Plante, the legendary Montreal Canadiens keeper who took the bold step of donning a crude fibreglass face shield in a game against the New York Rangers on Nov. 1, 1959.

Plante's innovation changed the face of hockey forever, and by the time he retired in 1975, every goalie wore a mask.

"I could never imagine doing this job without a helmet," Irving said with a chuckle. "Obviously the game was a little different back then, but I don't care who you are – that puck hurts."

In the five decades since Plante's headgear made its debut, the goalie mask has come a long way in terms of fashion as well as function. Cases in point are the lavishly painted masks worn by Keetley and Irving.

Keetley's artful bonnet might be one of the most eye-popping masks currently in use, NHL or otherwise. The most striking feature, on the right of the helmet, is an image of Heath Ledger as the Joker from the film The Dark Knight. The Joker's wild hair blends into the flame graphics that cover the rest of the mask. On the left side of the mask, in silver lettering, is the word "Keets," the goalie's nickname.

Closer inspection reveals four ghostly images of clowns, from the opening bank-robbery scene of The Dark Knight.

"The Joker, even before it was Heath Ledger, struck me as an odd character and I kind of liked him," Keetley explained. "I'm one of those guys in the room who's always having a good time in the (locker) room, joking around, so the Joker is the perfect character for me."

Irving's mask is dominated by an automotive theme. The right side of his helmet features a gleaming Hemi engine block, and the left carries the Dodge Viper symbol. The lower part of the mask is emblazoned with the words "Irv" and "Heat."

"I really like cars, especially the older Mopar muscle cars, and the Viper is one of those cars I'd like to own later down the road," Irving said, explaining his design choice.

Beyond the larger artwork on the front, both players have added smaller personalized touches. On the back of Keetley's helmet is a small silver cross with the letters LBT on it.

"Last summer my dad's best friend passed away, and he was really close to me," Keetley said. "We called him Laid-Back Tom – I've never met another guy who was so laid-back before. I put the cross on there for him, and it's probably something I'll probably keep doing."

The back of Irving's headgear features a pair of graphics. On the left is a scripted letter 'A' with the infinity symbol wrapped around it – a nod to his wife Ashley. On the right are the words "Live Strong," a reference to cyclist Lance Armstrong's cancer foundation. Irving himself is a cancer survivor.

The Calgary Flames pay for both the mask and the paint job, leaving the exceedingly fun task of designing the mask to the goalies. Over the summer, both Heat goalies sat down to with Blake McCulley of Cross-Eyed Airbrushing in Calgary to discuss ideas for the helmet graphics.

"They (the Flames) don't want us to go too crazy – no naked girls or stuff like that," Keetley said with a grin. "You want to keep it appealing for the fans. I've had my new mask for about two weeks, and I've had a lot of people give me the thumbs-up and tell me they love it already."

McCulley doesn't give the goalies a proof of his design after the initial discussions, so when the freshly painted lids arrived in Abbotsford, it was like opening a Christmas gift for Keetley and Irving.

"I'm like a kid in a candy store," Keetley said. "You have this idea in your head, and the artist has an idea in his head, and when I get it back I've never been disappointed.

"The other guys come in and see your new mask, and they're all like, 'I wish I was a goalie!'"