NHL goalies come to local artist for their masks

GRAND BLANC (WJRT) -- (06/04/09) -- A win for the Red Wings tonight in Pittsburgh will put the Wings just one win away from another championship.

A Grand Blanc man doesn't play for the team, but he has had a connection to the Wings success over the years.

A great team needs a great goalie, and every goalie needs a great mask. Grand Blanc's Ray Bishop has been the Red Wings' go-to guy for masks since 1998. "I've done work for Hasek, Legace, Conklin, Osgood, of course. I've done stuff for a few guys over the years and it's been fun."

Word of mouth has put Bishop Designs on the NHL's radar. Bishop's air brushing work first caught the eye of Manny Legace.  "He went to the Wings and gave me a chance to paint that mask, and their equipment manager saw what I can do, and he began to trust me."

From there, calls from goalies around the league came rolling in. His designs have been seen regularly on national TV throughout the playoffs.

"I try not to think so much about that. I still have that fan part of me that just watches, but it is neat to see your own stuff," Bishop admitted.

Bishop has designed gear for both of the starting goalies in this year's Stanley Cup finals: the Wings' Chris Osgood and the Penguins' Marc Andres Fleury. "I've talked with both of them. Nice guys. It's tough. I'm rooting for the Wings. They're my team and have been for years."

As for his flashy designs,  many of them just pop up naturally.

"Like any inspiration, you might wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning and just have an idea. Sometimes I play off the logo or the likes of a player. Maybe they have a rock band they're into."

Since he began painting for the Wings, their goalies have won two Stanley Cups. If they can earn a third, he wouldn't mind adding a little hardware to his own collection.

"I would love to have a ring, but I would think that if they gave me one, it would have a cubic zirconium. I get the credit where I need it."

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