Chris Mason (ice hockey)
Christopher Robert Mason | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 20, 1976 Red Deer, Alberta, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey goaltender (retired), color commentator |
| Years active | 1997–2015 (player) |
| Known for | NHL goaltender, color commentator for Nashville Predators |
Christopher Robert Mason (born April 20, 1976) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who currently serves as a color commentator for the Nashville Predators broadcasts on Bally Sports South. Selected 122nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1995 NHL entry draft, Mason’s NHL career spanned a decade during which he played for the Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets, and St. Louis Blues. He ended his professional playing days in 2015 with the Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
Playing career
Although drafted by the Devils, Mason did not sign with them and instead began his professional journey in 1997 by signing as a free agent with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. After spending his rookie season with their AHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, he was traded to the Nashville Predators. Mason made his NHL debut during the 1998–99 NHL season, participating in three games.
Following three seasons in Nashville, Mason inked a contract with the Florida Panthers but spent the entire 2002–03 campaign with their AHL team, the San Antonio Rampage. He was reclaimed by Nashville in the 2003 NHL Waiver Draft and served as backup to Tomáš Vokoun during the 2003–04 season, compiling a 4–4–1 record alongside a 2.18 goals against average (GAA) and a .926 save percentage.
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Mason competed for Vålerenga Ishockey in Norway, playing a pivotal role in securing both league and playoff titles.
In April 2006, Mason joined an exclusive group of NHL goaltenders credited with scoring a goal. After Vokoun’s trade in 2007, Mason stepped into the role of Nashville’s starting goaltender but encountered difficulties following a promising start.
On June 20, 2008, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues, where he achieved personal bests by appearing in 61 and 57 games over two seasons and notching 27 and 30 wins respectively.
Mason agreed to a two-year contract worth $3.7 million with the Atlanta Thrashers on July 1, 2010, marking his first tenure with an Eastern Conference team. His initial season featured a career-high goals against average exceeding 3.00. After the franchise relocated, he fulfilled his contract with the Winnipeg Jets.
In 2012, Mason returned to Nashville on a one-year deal as a backup goalie but struggled during the lockout-shortened season. With limited NHL opportunities afterward, he signed overseas with Italy’s Ritten-Renon in 2013 before transferring to Germany’s DEL to play for the Augsburger Panther in 2014.
Mason retired from professional hockey on September 21, 2015, and transitioned into broadcasting as a colour commentator for Nashville Predators games starting with the 2015–16 season.
International play
Mason made his international debut representing Canada at the 2006 World Championships, although he did not see ice time. He earned a gold medal as Canada’s third goaltender at the 2007 World Championships. At the 2009 World Championships held in Switzerland, Mason posted an undefeated 4–0 record with an impressive 1.00 GAA, contributing to Canada’s silver medal finish.
Following his strong showing in 2009 and an excellent NHL season, Mason was named as a reserve for Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He started as goaltender at the 2010 World Championships in Germany, where Canada was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Russia. Additionally, Mason represented Canada at the 2013 Spengler Cup.
Regular season and playoffs
... [Statistics continue with similar compression as above] ...| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1993–94 | Victoria Cougars | WHL | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 237 | 27 | 0 | 6.84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Prince George Cougars | WHL | 44 | 8 | 30 | 0 | 2288 | 192 | 1 | 5.03 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Prince George Cougars | WHL | 59 | 16 | 37 | 0 | 3289 | 236 | 1 | 4.31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1996–97 | Prince George Cougars | WHL | 50 | 19 | 23 | 1 | 2852 | 172 | 2 | 3.62 | .900 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 938 | 44 | 1 | 2.81 | |||
| NHL totals | 317 | 137 | 113 | 31 | 17,004 | 754 | 23 | 2.66 | .909 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 553 | 27 | 0 | 2.93 | .907 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Canada | WC | Fourth place | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007 | Canada | WC | Template:Gold1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | Canada | WC | Template:Silver2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.00 | .965 | |
| 2010 | Canada | WC | Seventh place | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2.80 | .896 | |
| Senior international totals | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2.06 | .925 | ||||
Awards
- Top Goaltender at the Air Canada Cup, awarded in 1994
- Named to the Norwegian GET-ligaen All-Star Team for the 2004–05 season
- Secured the GET-ligaen Championship title with Vålerenga Ishockey during 2004–05
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Atlanta Thrashers players
- Augsburger Panther players
- Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
- Cincinnati Mighty Ducks players
- Ice hockey people from Red Deer, Alberta
- Milwaukee Admirals players
- Nashville Predators players
- New Jersey Devils draft picks
- Prince George Cougars players
- St. Louis Blues players
- San Antonio Rampage players
- Ritten Sport players
- Vålerenga Ishockey players
- Victoria Cougars (WHL) players
- Winnipeg Jets players
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States