Allen to wear military-themed mask Saturday

Gesture is in conjunction with 'Salute to Military' night 

against Islanders; mask to be auctioned off for charity

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Blues goalie Jake Allen will wear a special military-themed goalie mask on Saturday when the Blues host the New York Islanders on Saturday in conjunction with 'Salute to Military' night at Scottrade Center.

Allen's mask, which was created in conjunction with Boeing, will feature both the American and Canadian flag and two soldiers with ties to the Blues (former goalie Ed Staniowski and Bobby Gassoff Jr., son of Blues defenseman Bob Bassoff, who played 245 regular-season and nine postseason games for the Blues from 1973-77.

Blues goalie Jake Allen shows off the military-themed mask he will wear on
Saturday against the New York Islanders on 'Salute to Military' night.

Staniowski, who served in the Canadian Armed Forces and will be in attendance Saturday, along with Gassoff Jr., a former Navy SEAL. The mask will be auctioned at a later date to raise money for H.E.R.O.E.S. Care, an organization that supports military members and their families.

"It'll be a good night for our fans and for our team," Allen said Friday. "Just for all the people in the U.S. and Canada who have done a great job for our countries. I've got a pretty cool little mask. I'll wear it for one game and then we'll raffle it off and the team will their thing with it and raise some good money. I think it turned out pretty well."

Staniowski played for the Blues from 1975-81, appearing in 137 games. After a 10-year professional hockey career that also included stints with the Winnipeg Jets and Hartford Whalers, Staniowski joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1985. He served multiple deployments with the Canadian Army, which included missions for the United Nations / NATO in the Middle East, Croatia and Bosnia. Staniowski served in Afghanistan as recently as 2010.

Gassoff Jr. played college hockey at the University of Michigan, winning a national championship in 1998. He also played in the Blues' minor league system with the Worcester Ice Cats during the 2001-02 season before joining the Navy and serving in Iraq.

Allen's mask also features a camouflaged version of the Blues' old wordmark on the chin and the iconic silhouette of soldiers raising an American flag after the Battle of Iwo Jima on the back. The mask will be raffled off at stlouisblues.com at a later date to raise money for H.E.R.O.E.S. Care, an organization that provides support for members of all branches of the military and their families through pre-deployment, deployment, family reintegration and post-deployment.

Tickets for Saturday's Salute to Military game are available now at the Scottrade Center Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com. Fans attending the game are encouraged to donate care package items for troops overseas for a chance to win autographed Blues merchandise. The team will also sell autographed mystery pucks outside Section 114 to benefit H.E.R.O.E.S. Care and Operation Shower.

Blues players will wear camouflage jerseys during pregame warmups, and 20 Army recruits will take an oath of enlistment during the game to officially join the armed forces. In addition, members of the US Army will rappel from the rafters to deliver a puck to Fort Leonard Wood commanding general Major General Kent Savre, who will drop the puck prior to the opening faceoff.

Blues and Islanders fans are encouraged to join in by singing the national anthem in unison with retired Naval Petty Officer, 1st Class, Generald Wilson will start the anthem before the Blues and Islanders drop the puck, then step aside to let fans take over. The gesture, which began with the Blues' military night last season, is intended to proudly honor the contributions, the courage and the heart of all those who have served the country with pride.