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Flames’ Mike Smith goes old school with Mike Vernon-inspired mask

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It’s kind of a standard thing now that when teams wear throwback or special jerseys, goaltenders will get into the act and don a special mask. With the Calgary Flames bringing back their old school uniforms this season, Mike Smith is going to do his part to honor the franchise’s past.

When the Flames wear their retro thirds Saturday night vs. the Vancouver Canucks, Smith will debut his new mask, which is a tribute the great Mike Vernon.

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Flames

The mask features Vernon’s Cat Eye style and, according to the netminder, those are Smith’s ears.

“It just popped into my head one day and that was last week, so my designer did an unbelievable job to get it ready and it turned out awesome,” Smith told the Flames website.

“I grew up watching him and thought it’d be a really cool design. Obviously I can’t wear the same helmet as he did, not nowadays, but my painter, Dave Arrigo, did an unbelievable job to make it as realistic as possible. Turned out great.”

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.