Station Casinos Bartender Wins Grand Prize In Design Of Golden Knights Goalie Mask

By ALAN SNEL

 

They’re the super sports fans, the ones who are a level above the team logo face-painters. They just don’t wear unique costumes. They invest time and money in those costumes.

 

They are Shawn Hickey, a 46-year-old Station Casinos bartender and hobby photographer who is known as the guy who wore the Golden Knights armor outfit to the NHL Awards Show/Golden Knights draft event at T-Mobile Arena June 21.

 

 

Hickey, who spent $1,000 on his stage armor suit, also recently won a Golden Knights fan honor and grand prize for designing the artwork of the goalie mask of Golden Knights goaltender Calvin Pickard. Hickey won the grand prize and there were five other fans who chipped in with the design.

 

 

 

Hickey, who grew up an Islanders fan and also rooted for the Tampa Bay Lightning when he lived in the Tampa suburb of Brandon, said his award-winning design contained three elements — the gold color toward the front of the mask; the large knight looming over the Strip to protect the Golden Knights’ home ice; and the team logo on the mask crest.

 

 

Hickey said he was contacted via email by the Golden Knights PR staff that he was a finalist in the #PicksMaskContest and eventually the grand prize winner. He will meet Pickard and get a Golden Knights jersey.

 

Hickey loves hockey so much that he bought Golden Knights season tickets five minutes after they were available and made a five-year commitment.

 

His seats are right behind one of the two goals, which gives him a close view of the goaltenders.

 

“It will be nice to look down at the goaltender and know that you contributed,” Hickey said.

 

Thing is, the Golden Knights will likely play star goalie Marc-Andre Fleury more than Pickard. So, Hickey joked and laughed, “I’ll root for Fleury to go down.”

 

He’s only kidding, of course.

 

But he does prefer the goalie mask worn by Pickard.

 

“I’m a little partial to Pickard’s mask,” Hickey said.

 

Contact LVSportsBiz.com founder/writer Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com