Stanley Cup

Artist Takes Pride in Rask Mask During Stanley Cup Final

Tuukka Rask has goaltending down to an art form, but when it comes to the art on his mask, an artist in Woburn takes the credit.

Ron Slater of Slater Lettering and Graphics has a workshop filled with replicas and other custom mask designs. He started painting the mask for the Bruins goaltender a dozen years ago and said Rask had just one request.

"He just said, 'Make it look mean and fierce,'" Slater said. "So I made the teeth bigger than reality, made the eyes look killer, like possessed. It really makes for intimidation."

The Bruins fan is psyched to see his design on Stanley Cup Final ice once again. Roughly 40 hours of work goes into every one, and that is why it can be tough to watch the pucks mess with his paint jobs.

"Oh, it hurts," Slater said. "I can feel it my own bones because that's like my baby."

Slater will not make any series predictions, but said if it were a battle of the masks, the B's would win.

"You have something with teeth and claws and then with the Blues, you have a note with wings on it," Slater said.

The artist said if Rask's mask is enough to scare even one Blues player away, all of his work will have been worth it.

"Whatever helps bring home the cup," he said.

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