Goaltenders in the NHL have had a number of cool helmet designs over the years, and Scott Wedgewood is no exception. The Dallas Stars goalie recently sported a Mario Kart inspired mask on the ice in a matchup against the Ottawa Senators. The helmet was designed by artist Dave Gunnarson, and features references to both Mario Kart 8 as well as Mario Kart Double Dash!!. In a post on Instagram, Wedgewood walked fans through the design, which changes the normally colored Super Star to a Dallas Stars green. Most of the traditional Mario family characters have been replaced by caricatures of Wedgewood’s teammates and his family pets, with one notable exception: Baby Peach is also there as a reference to the baby daughter he and his wife are expecting!
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A video showcasing the Mario Kart design can be found in the Instagram post embedded below.
Wedgewood the Gamer
In the Instagram video, Wedgewood reveals that he and fellow Dallas Stars players Jason Robertson, Nils Lundkvist, and Thomas Harley all dressed up as Mario Kart characters for Halloween earlier this year. Speaking to Polygon, Wedgewood noted that he’s been a fan of video games since childhood, and that’s extended to today. The goaltender and his teammates have even been playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on road trips.
“I played a lot growing up,” Wedgewood told Polygon. “Being ’92 born, we grew up with the Nintendo, Sega Genesis, GameCube, Nintendo 64 — pretty much one of everything. Last year on Christmas, my wife got me a Nintendo Switch for the plane rides, and a couple of guys had them. I have a gaming screen I bring on the plane, and you plug in the Switch and we had four guys playing last year. We’d get games going.”
The Success of Mario Kart
Given the portable nature of Switch, it’s not surprising that the system has managed to find success with professional athletes that spend so much time on the road. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold 57 million copies since releasing in 2017. Not only is it the best-selling game on Switch, it’s also become one of the best-selling video games of all-time. Nintendo has also managed to keep interest in the game alive through the game’s Booster Course Pass DLC, which added a number of new tracks and racers.
Content updates for the Booster Course Pass ended this year, and fans have been eager to find out what Nintendo has planned next for the series. We likely won’t see a new Mario Kart until Nintendo’s next system, but rumors suggest that a new console could be released in the second half of 2024. If that does prove to be the case, a new Mario Kart probably won’t be far behind!
What do you think of Wedgewood’s helmet design? Are you surprised to see a reference to Mario Kart on the ice? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
