GLENDALE – Devan Dubnyk is ready for his new gig with the Coyotes in more ways than one.

Yes, Dubnyk, whom Arizona signed to a one-year contract this summer to back up starter Mike Smith, is eager for a fresh start with a new team.

All photos provided by Devan Dubnyk.



He’s also prepared with a new mask that is properly themed for an NHL goaltender whose home rink sits in the U.S. Southwest.

Working with Swedish artist David Gunnarsson, Dubnyk suggested a general design concept that combined the Coyotes logo, homages to family members and, as always, an animated giraffe or two as a play on his 6-foot-6 frame. Dubnyk said Gunnarsson ran with it, and designed/painted the giraffes with a nod to Old West icons Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

“It looks awesome,” Dubnyk, who will wear sweater No. 40 with the Coyotes, told fans during a recent “Twitter Takeover” Q & A on the team’s official account.



EDITOR'S NOTE: Click here to read Dubnyk's "Twitter Takeover."

The child painted on the back of Dubnyk’s mask (see below) is his son Nathaniel, who was born last summer.

Dubnyk will officially debut his new mask when Coyotes veterans take the ice at training camp for the first time on Sept. 19.

According to his web site, Gunnarsson has painted as a custom pro artist for more than a decade and he specializes in custom mask painting for hockey goalies of all ages and levels.

Learn more at daveart.com.



EDITOR'S NOTE: Scroll down to view more photos of Dubnyk's mask:



