TOLEDO, Ohio — If Toledo Walleye goaltender Gage Alexander's towering presence in the net doesn't grab your attention this season, his mask certainly will.
You'd never guess that Alexander is the newest netminder contracted by the Detroit Red Wings. Although Toledo is still only in the middle of training camp, Alexander is dressed for the job with a helmet that marries the franchise's top two teams — the Detroit Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins — into one design.
"I had a couple buddies kind of tell me a couple things to put it on," Alexander said. "I'm not a huge superstitious guy when it comes to masks. I was super excited to make a Detroit one."
Alexander chose Noah Ennis of Shell Shock Paint for the job. Ennis is a veteran artist with several big names in his portfolio like NHL'er Marc-Andre Fleury and numerous goaltenders in the Anaheim Ducks organization.
Fitting, because until July 3, Alexander was with Anaheim himself.
Alexander came to Detroit by way of a trade, with the Ducks swapping the 6-foot-6-inch goaltender for Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025.
The Red Wings assigned Alexander, a 22-year-old from Alberta, Canada, to Toledo on Oct. 5.
Just in time to get a glimpse at Ennis' striking art at Tuesday's media day during training camp.
"He's been kind of doing my masks since I got to Anaheim. He did a really good job last year, we did a glow-in-the-dark one," Alexander said, of Ennis. "This year, we kind of went a little more basic and I just kind of wanted more details on it and stuff. So yeah, he does a really good job."
Ennis said the partnership, dating back to when Alexander was drafted in 2021, made the collaborative process easy.
"We kind of have a good relationship, so brainstorming with him isn't hard," Ennis said.
The top of the mask features the Griffins' alternate crest logo flanked by the Detroit Red Wings wordmark.
Tentacles snake up the sides of the mask in a nod to the Wings' association with octopi, with subtle gold highlights that pull from the accents on Grand Rapids' uniforms and tie into the Walleye as well.
Detroit's iconic winged wheel is prominent on the chin of the mask, with wings flaring out to the left and right. The circle around the center of the winged wheel doubles as a red "G," which Alexander said is his nickname in the locker room this year. The winged wheel is also on the backplate.
On (much) closer inspection, subtle details include a faint Griffins crest under the tentacles on the sides and a similarly faint winged wheel beneath the Detroit wordmark.
It isn't uncommon for goaltenders contracted by the Red Wings, like Alexander, or by the second-tier Griffins, like fellow Walleye goaltender Jan Bednar, to don masks that pay tribute to one or both of the higher-level teams while guarding the crease in Toledo, as the parent club usually picks up the bill for the paint.
Alexander's mask has the distinction of being Ennis' first Red Wings mask.
"He wanted a design that screamed 'Red Wings' and looked fast sitting still, but didn't want it like other Wings masks," Ennis said. "So, went over a couple ideas and settled on the octopus tentacles and then Detroit wanted us to tie in some Griffins logos as well."
The Walleye are a step down from the Griffins and, of course, wear blue, white and gold. But that doesn't make Alexander's mask any less appealing as a work of art.
For Alexander, it's something more than just an eye-catching piece of equipment, too.
"I have a quote on the back of it that says 'Alexanders can do anything.' That's just a quote that my grandma used to tell me all the time when I grew up," Alexander said. "I have some initials for a buddy of mine that passed away due to cancer. So, I think it just kind of holds me close and I have everyone around me."
Alexander and the Walleye kick off the preseason Friday at Kalamazoo followed by a game Saturday at the Huntington Center, before hitting the road until the home opener on Nov. 1 against the Wheeling Nailers.
