MONTREAL, Que. – For the eighth year, goalie masks designed by young Canadians will be front and centre at the IIHF World Junior Championship thanks to the Bauer Design-A-Mask contest. Two winners will be chosen, one in the 12-and-under category and one in the 13-to-18 category.

The masks designed by the winners will be worn by Canada’s National Junior Team goaltenders during the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship, December 26, 2010 to January 5, 2011 in Buffalo, N.Y.

The contest is open until Friday, November 19. All designs must include the Hockey Canada logo and have a Team Canada theme. The entry form can be downloaded by clicking HERE, or by visiting www.hockeycanada.ca/DAM.

Apart from the thrill of having their designs chosen by the hockey industry’s top goaltender aficionados and worn by Canada’s netminders, the two winners will also receive their very own duplicate, custom-painted mask, which will be autographed by members of Canada’s National Junior Team.

Past winners have seen their masks worn by the likes of NHL first-overall selection Marc-André Fleury and gold medal-winning goaltenders Jeff Glass, Justin Pogge, Steve Mason and Dustin Tokarski.

“Our goaltenders in the past have enjoyed wearing the designs of Canadians on their masks as they chased gold,” says Brad Pascall, vice-president of hockey operations/national teams for Hockey Canada. “We look forward to another year of the Design-A-Mask contest as we go for gold in Buffalo.”

For more information on the Bauer Design-A-Mask contest and the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship, visit www.hockeycanada.ca.