Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is interested in the universe, which is a fact that many are aware of. Last week, the Flyers twitter account tweeted out photos of a new mask commissioned for Bryzgalov that was fashioned with a Star Wars theme, likely an homage to his interest in space.

One side of the mask featured an illustration of Darth Vader, while the other side had a picture of Yoda. Given that the Flyers primary colors are orange and black, the two illustrations featured an orange hue to pay homage to the team.

This included Yoda's Lightsaber, which appeared to be red instead of green. This did not go over well with Star Wars fans, and apparently, Lucasfilm.

According to a report by Enrico Campitelli of the 700 Level, Lucasfilm contacted the Flyers and informed them that they wanted the color of Yoda and the saber color to be changed. Franny Drummond, the artist who designed the mask, told Campitelli that Bryzgalov might not have been permitted to wear the mask if those changes had not been made, via the 700 Level:

"We didn't realize we'd be offending anyone," Drummond told me this morning. "Yoda's Lightsaber was actually an orange-ish color before we changed it. We were going for a hint of the Flyers' colors in Yoda as well. There were no bad intentions. It was just a matching thing."

Bryzgalov wore the mask as it was originally designed in one game before Drummond made the alterations to Yoda's illustration. Here is a photo comparison of the changes made to the mask, courtesy of the 700 Level:





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