Jackson Curran loved having Noah Dugas with him at the hockey rink.
The 14-year-old goaltender was a longtime teammate of defenceman Noah Dugas, who tragically passed away due to a stroke last November.
The passing of Dugas left a void on their hockey team, along with a void in the players' hearts.
"He was fun, energetic, and always positive," Jackson said about Noah Dugas.
See related: 'He was just a really nice kid'
To pay tribute to Dugas, and fill that void, the U15 AAA Trappers goaltender decided to find a place for Noah on the side of his new goalie helmet.
"My helmet was blank and I did not have anything to put on it and I thought maybe I could put him on it," Curran said prior to a training session last week.
"So I based my entire helmet on it and I came up with different ideas each day."
Scott Curran, Jackson's dad, says Mario Designs out of Barrie which has painted masks for professional goaltenders like the Maple Leafs Jack Campbell, stopped everything to make Jackson's order a priority.
The left side of the mask has a picture of a smiling Noah Dugas in his Trappers uniform in the dressing room; an original photo taken by local photographer Shanna Wray.
On the backplate of his goalie helmet, he has the #NoahStrong logo along with his number 71 to also honour his friend.
Jackson says the new helmet is getting rave reviews from his teammates.
"When I saw it first with all my friends we were all so happy that it came out the way it did and I was super pumped because there is nothing else I would add or change on it," he said.
The helmet makes Jackson feel like Noah is back with him on the ice.
"I will know when I am on the ice there is always one guy with me."
