Ohio State senior goalkeeper Logan Terness paints hockey gear as a hobby outside of his work on the ice. Credit: Laura Terness
Hockey and art are typically two separate interests, yet Ohio State senior goalkeeper Logan Terness discovered a way to merge them.
On the ice, Terness is a force in the net with quick reflexes and unshakable focus. Off the ice, he’s an artist, blending colors to create custom-painted hockey gear that is as much a part of his game as his glove and stick.
“When I was really little, I loved drawing hockey players,” Terness said. “Going to Canucks games and seeing Roberto Luongo’s masks sparked my interest in designing goalie masks.”
Terness said he credits the COVID-19 pandemic for giving him free time to develop his mask-design skills.
“I started getting into masks in 2020, kind of around COVID. I was just sitting around doing nothing, but I had a white mask and no ice time,” Terness said. “I spent a lot of time messing around with it, learned how to do it through a million hours of YouTube videos, and now I’m able to do pretty cool work on my own masks.”
Laura Terness — Logan Terness’ mother — said he began drawing as a child, and his love for hockey shined through his artwork early on.
“All of his drawings from a young age, even before he went to kindergarten, were hockey players,” Laura Terness said.
When Logan Terness reached high school, his art pieces became more complex and detailed, Laura Terness said.
“At some point in high school, he got a little more creative,” Laura Terness said. “We bought him an airbrush kit in high school, and he started playing around with that, and it slowly evolved into the talent he has today, which continues to impress us.”
When he’s not actively on the ice, Ohio State senior goalkeeper Logan Terness paints hockey gear. Credit: Courtesy of Laura Terness
For Logan Terness, art and hockey have always gone hand in hand.
“Goalie mask designs, and the gear in general, have always been a form of art for me,” Logan Terness said. “Being able to design my own pads and my own mask is a way to express myself on the ice.”
Logan Terness took to the net just as naturally as he did art, with both his father and maternal grandfather having played ice hockey.
Kevin Terness — Logan Terness’ father — said he thinks he was one of his son’s early inspirations, as his love for ice hockey led Logan Terness to embrace the goalkeeper position.
“At around the age of 4, I started playing organized hockey, and I was always drawn to playing goalie,” Kevin Terness said. “It’s been a passion of mine, and that probably wore off on our boys.”
Logan Terness said his father’s assumption was true and identified him as the source of his goalkeeping aspirations.
“Growing up, my mom would take me to my dad’s games, and I’d sit up on the glass watching him,” Logan Terness said. “He was a goalie, so I think I was just naturally drawn to it.”
As strong as Logan Terness’ passion for art is, he said hockey season is the time of the year when he shifts his focus.
“When I’m here [at Ohio State], it’s just hockey,” Logan Terness said. “Art kind of goes on the backburner since I don’t bring my painting stuff to school, so I unfortunately can’t do any while I’m here.”
Logan Terness said his goal is to play in the NHL one day.
“At the end of the day, that’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid, and playing professional hockey is what I’ve set my mind to since day one,” Logan Terness said.
Logan Terness said he wants to continue his artistic career if and when he becomes a professional hockey player, as it would allow him to display his work on a larger stage.
“I think it’d be pretty sweet to paint my own mask while playing in the NHL,” Logan Terness said. “Having my own artwork along the way with me would be one of the coolest things I could possibly do.”
