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Toronto Maple Leafs: Garret Sparks pays tribute to Humboldt Broncos goalie

By Austin Owens

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 17: Garret Sparks #40 of the Toronto Maple Leafs warms up prior to action against the Montreal Canadiens in an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 17, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 17: Garret Sparks #40 of the Toronto Maple Leafs warms up prior to action against the Montreal Canadiens in an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 17, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies goaltender Garret Sparks is paying tribute to Humboldt Broncos goalie Parker Tobin in a creative and memorable way.

Garret Sparks is known for having some slick mask designs, both with the Toronto Marlies and Toronto Maple Leafs. The goaltender is now using that as a way to pay tribute to Humboldt Broncos goaltender Parker Tobin on the new backplate of his mask.

The Humboldt Broncos bus crash was a tragedy that shook both the hockey and sporting world to its core back in early April. In total, 16 individuals lost their lives, including Tobin.

The GoFundMe started to raise money for those affected by the tragedy raised $14.7 million, while teams across North America held tributes for the victims.

Teams have also shown a sign of respect by placing a Broncos decal on the back-left of each player’s helmet. That sentiment has carried on throughout the playoffs in both the NHL and AHL. Team Canada also announced  they would have helmet decals with the Humboldt colours for the 2018 World Hockey Championships.

On Wednesday, In Goal Magazine revealed a tweak Sparks has made to the backplate of his mask.

While Sparks wasn’t one of the members of the Marlies to speak to the media on Thursday, he did send out a tweet on Tuesday about the new addition.

"Amazing job by @Sylabrush capturing every artistic element of this mask as I envisioned & paying proper tribute to Parker and the rest of those affected by the tragedy #HumboldtStrong. – Garret Sparks Via Twitter"

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The reigning Baz Bastian Award Winner has been hard to crack in the Marlies cage all season, and that hasn’t changed in the playoffs. Through eight games this postseason, Sparks has posted a .920 save percentage, a 2.22 goals against average and one shutout.

The Broncos organization announced that they will resume operations and form a team for the 2018-19 SJHL season. When they take the ice next season, they will have the collective eyes and hearts of the hockey world with them every step of the way.

Sparks will attempt to backstop the Marlies to the Calder Cup Finals, when the team starts their third-round series with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday.

Next: Leafs sign 4 players to Entry-Level Contracts

What do you think about the mask design? Let us know in the comments below.

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