Folks, hockey season is just about here. And as players arrive in town and get reacquainted with their team and teammates, we get a chance to see new equipment and new masks for goaltenders.

It just so happens that Jacob Markström’s new mask is really, really cool.

Painted by Calgary airbrush artist Jordon Bourgeault, Markström’s new lid has some obvious traditional Flames mask elements: skulls and fire. Heck, skulls have been a hallmark of Flames goalie masks dating back to Miikka Kiprusoff. But combining the two to essentially make a fire-skill elevates this mask to the upper echelon of Flames facial protection.

Oh, and the tooth-gap on the skull is a tribute to long-time teammate Chris Tanev.

Is it the best Flames mask ever? That’s unclear. But it’s definitely up there with Kiprusoff, Joni Ortio and Karri Ramo in terms of having style, substance, and a general intimidation factor.

We’re told that there are more brand-new masks coming, as Adam Werner and Daniel Vladar are brand-new to the organization, Daniil Chechelev and Dustin Wolf go pro, and Tyler Parsons tries to make an impression in the minor league crease. Markström’s mask has set the bar for the rest of the group really high.