Brett and Bobby Hull found out the answer to that question first-hand Monday, when they emerged for the Winter Classic photo op without the vulcanized rubber disc.
Perhaps they figured someone from the league would supply one, or maybe they forgot to bring one out themselves, but either way it made for an amusing and awkward moment.
Eddie Lack, of course, was given the start at the 2014 Heritage Classic in Vancouver, while Luongo was dealt to Florida three days after watching from the bench.
Carter Hutton's customized goalie mask earned him special recognition from one of the biggest families in St. Louis Cardinals history.
Ahead of the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium - home of the Cardinals - Blues netminder Carter Hutton revealed he'd be donning a special mask that honors some of the Cardinals' greatest-ever players, including Hall of Famer Stan Musial:
A photo posted by St. Louis Blues (@stlouisblues) on
Musial's family wasn't the only one to take notice of the special gear, as the Baseball Hall of Fame requested Hutton's mask for the institution after he's done using it, according to Frank Cusumano of KSDK Sports.
Matthews led all players with four goals and two assists for six points in three games, with his marquee performance coming during the Centennial Classic on New Year's Day in which he recorded two goals, including the overtime winner.
Matthews now leads all rookies in goals and points, and sits second only to Sidney Crosby in goals scored among all players.
Kreider also scored four goals - including his second career hat trick - and added an assist for five points in three games.
Fleury won three games for the Penguins, stopping 77 of the 82 shots against for a save percentage of .939. He'll be relied upon heavily with in the coming weeks with Matt Murray sidelined with an injury.
Burmistrov was placed on the wire by Winnipeg on Sunday. He managed only two points in 23 games with the Jets this season.
The 25-year-old never lived up to his potential with the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise after being selected eighth overall by Atlanta in 2010.
He left the Jets for a two-year KHL stint from 2013-15, returning to play for Winnipeg last season. However, he hasn't managed more than his 2011-12 output of 13 goals and 28 points at the NHL level.
theScore's new series, "The Noise," is published every Monday. It kicks off each week with a quick look at three teams or players making headlines, good or bad.
Auston Matthews
The rookie sensation rose to the occasion Sunday, scoring two goals including the game-winner in overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the Centennial Classic at BMO Field.
Matthews has been on an incredible roll of late, putting a 13-game goal drought in the rear-view mirror with 14 goals in his last 17 contests.
The 19-year-old is tied with Los Angeles Kings forward Jeff Carter for second in the NHL's goal-scoring scoring race with 20, and he leads all rookies in both goals and points (32) with three games in hand on Winnipeg Jets phenom Patrik Laine.
Don't think the Leafs are reconsidering their first overall selection last June.
Jack Eichel
On the same weekend Matthews took yet another positive step in his development, another high draft pick lashed out at his team for their dismal play.
The Sabres have hit rock bottom with one win in their last seven games, plummeting to the floor of the Eastern Conference.
If Eichel's eruption is going to inspire his teammates, it may not yield immediate results. Buffalo begins the new year with a road date against the New York Rangers on Tuesday and a trip to the United Center to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
Columbus hasn't lost since Nov. 26, and hasn't been defeated in regulation since Nov. 23rd. The Blue Jackets have only lost five times in regulation this season, and three of those came in their first six games.
On Saturday, they tied the 1981-82 New York Islanders and the 2012-13 Pittsburgh Penguins for the second-longest win streak in NHL history, and they now need two victories to equal the 1992-93 Penguins for the longest such streak of all time.
Columbus needs to beat the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and the Washington Capitals on the road Thursday. Even if that doesn't happen, the Blue Jackets have already proven they're legit, and they should continue to be taken seriously in the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division.
The Montreal Canadiens signed goaltender Al Montoya to a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2018-19 season, general manager Marc Bergevin announced Monday.
The deal is reportedlyworth $2.13 million over the two-year term, thereby carrying a cap hit of $1.065 million, according to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.
With Habs signing Al Montoya to a two-year extension they have a goalie not named Carey Price eligible to be exposed in expansion draft
In 11 games with the Canadiens this season, Montoya has posted a record of 4-4-2 with a .909 save percentage, which is dragged down by Montreal's infamous 10-0 loss to Columbus in November.
That save percentage is on par with Montoya's career number, accumulated over 147 regular-season appearances since being drafted sixth overall in 2004.
From dead last to the postseason? One of the Toronto Maple Leafs' brightest young stars isn't ruling it out.
"We all want to make the playoffs and obviously go far in them," Mitch Marner told reporters including The Athletic's James Mirtle after a thrilling overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the Centennial Classic at BMO Field on Sunday.
What once seemed like a pipe dream isn't too far fetched. After earning their fifth straight win Sunday, the Leafs are three points behind the third-place Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division with three games in hand.
Leafs head coach Mike Babcock believes the club can get there eventually, but doesn't think it's a perennial contender just yet.
"We're finding players every day as we watch them grow, and we have aspirations to be a really good team in the National Hockey League, one that in the summer you know you're going to make the playoffs," Babcock said Sunday, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.
"That's not where we're at right now, but we're a work in progress. We like the direction we're going.''
Toronto has certainly exceeded expectations in the first half of the season, but with eight rookies, 46 games remaining, and a couple of playoff-tested clubs in its way, it'll be an uphill battle to qualify for the playoffs.
Still, Babcock - who's no stranger to the postseason - liked what he saw in a resilient victory Sunday, as the Leafs rallied to win in the extra frame after coughing up a 4-1 lead and allowing the tying goal with just over a second remaining in regulation.
"At playoff time in the National Hockey League, you're either up one or down one," he said. "It's the same every night. You've got to love the duress. You've got to love the grind. You've got to love digging in and knowing you're going to get it done, so that was a good opportunity for our team because we haven't had those kind of opportunities, so I thought that was good.''
Detroit's Anthony Mantha scored at 19:58 in the third period to send the game to overtime after Matthews lost the faceoff and Hyman later failed to clear the puck, but Babcock stood by the decision to deploy the young trio in that situation.
Here's what he had to say after the game:
If you're (Nazem Kadri) and you're (Leo Komarov) and you're sitting on the bench and the coach is playing those other guys instead of you, at that time you're saying what's he doing, because I'm giving them the opportunity. (Matthews' line) got two goals in the third. I'm giving them a chance to shut out the game. But they're right, too, why don't I just put the veteran guys out, because they've got to learn. We had an opportunity here in a big game and we gave them that opportunity.
In the end, Matthews made up for it with an overtime goal on which Brown drew the secondary assist.
The Leafs' group of budding star forwards will continue to be leaned upon at both ends of the ice, and the Centennial Classic experience will no doubt be looked upon as both a star performance and teaching moment.
First, it was an exceptional, highly successful celebration of the last century of hockey and tradition in Toronto, which ended fittingly with wunderkind Auston Matthews scoring the first overtime winner of his career to defeat the Detroit Red Wings at BMO Field, extending the club's win streak to five.
Second, it was another task scratched off The Shanaplan.
The all-encompassing rebuild
Since his hiring two-and-a-half years ago, Brendan Shanahan's purpose has been to mend the organization's estranged relationship with excellence. In his mind, achieving this required more than devising a plan to improve the on-ice product, and building a roster capable of ending the longest championship drought in the NHL.
His restoration plan meant doing right by the past. And he made it a priority to salvage strained relationships, depict the franchise's history without bias or disguise, and, perhaps most importantly, provide this generation with a standard to meet.
The weekend was the manifestation of that vision.
"The history of this team will never go unnoticed," Morgan Rielly told theScore after the 5-4 triumph under the lights. "I think the organization has done an outstanding job of honoring the players that have come before us.
"I don't think that's ever going to change."
For Rielly, it won't be Matthews' overtime winner, or the moment he and his teammates made the walk out to the makeshift rink to the cheers of 40,000 hockey fans packed into a soccer stadium that he'll remember most. It will be the time he spent in a locker room with three generations of Maple Leafs, sharing stories, taking pictures, and gaining inspiration.
Just as Shanahan drew it up.
Starstruck
The incredible detail in the planning and execution of this event was most evident when the Maple Leafs stepped off the ice after practice Saturday morning. When the players returned the their stalls, there was a legend on either side, lacing skates, taping sticks, and ready to chat.
While this was deliberate on the organization's part, the interactions were completely spontaneous.
There was Mitch Marner receiving advice on Sharpie selection, and then passing that information onto fellow rookie William Nylander, who began darting around the room himself, chasing down autographs. There was Tie Domi requesting Matthews for a photo, and Frederik Andersen picking the brain of Curtis Joseph, and Matt Martin exchanging notes with Tiger Williams.
The scenes were incredible. And that was just what the media was privy to.
"I think (the alumni) loved it," Rielly said. "And for us, we loved it more for sure."
Miles to go, but going fast
There’s still room on Legends Row, and redressing history will remain an ongoing process for the organization. But after a weekend of celebrating the past, the focus shifts solely toward moving forward.
And with Matthews and Marner leading the acceleration of the process, Shanahan's Maple Leafs are quickly correcting the hockey side, as well.
"We believe in each other in here," Connor Brown said. "And as a player, I get the sense that the fans believe. We're still a young team, but we're going to try to make strides in the right direction.
