The JOFA 366

The JOFA 366 helmet is the pro stock model of the JOFA 390 helmet, worn most notably by Mario Lemieux, Teemu Selanne, Denis Savard, Theo Fleury, Phil Housley, Pat Verbeek, Vincent Damphousse, and Alexandre Daigle. The difference is subtle, but it makes a huge difference in the helmet's look as well as comfort. If you haven't already noticed, the ear protection is absent. This may have been a suggestion from Mario Lemieux to JOFA's designers, or could have it been a coincidence that it was dubbed the JOFA 3"66" - Mario Lemieux's number? This removal of the solid ear protection found in the Jofa 390 replaced with ear loops turns what used to be a bowling ball into a sports car of a helmet.

The sculpted intakes mimic that of a Ferrari or some other exotic car; and these helmets are just about as rare too! These helmets are next to impossible to obtain in the states.

Teemu Selanne, a known motorsport enthusiast, rocks his JOFA 366's with an Oakley straight visor, making it look more like a motorcycle helmet. Also, notice Selanne's mod to the ear loops, as he replaced the plastic ones for a more comfortable rubber ear loop, like those found on about every other brand of helmet. This may be a modification, but it could also be a different variation of the JOFA 366; research has found that pros have worn the JOFA 366 in a variety of ear loop styles. The JOFA 390's ear protection touches your ears and reduces your ability to hear, the JOFA 366 is the solution to that.

So if you ever thought your JOFA 390 helmet looked slightly off and a little awkward compared to how the pro's JOFA helmets looked; you're right. It is possible to modify a Jofa 390, however it voids HECC and CSA certification. If you are in a men's league or a professional, it might be possible to get away with. So if you're a kid getting a hand-me-down, don't start cutting into it until you're older, until then it will be a waste of a perfectly fine helmet; and do yourself a favor and leave the certification stickers on regardless of how lame they are.   

To avoid doing a botch job imitation of Selanne or Jagr's helmet, do some research first; I plan on eventually posting some guidelines and advice on how to install a visor properly on these helmets so no one else ends up wearing some dangerous contraption like the one above.  

Here's an image of Pat Verbeek wearing a JOFA 366 helmet, notice how his visor turns up to accommodate the helmet's screw mounts.  This is the JOFA 995 visor made specifically for the JOFA 290-390 helmets; it doesn't seem that they would fit on any other helmet.  JOFA helmets were not designed to accept second party visors (Itech, Bauer, 1Xcel, Oakley), and to correctly install them takes a bit of craftsmanship.  Just check the difference of installation between Selanne's visor and Verbeek's.  

Aside from Selanne's modern Oakley visor, the difference is that Selanne removed the rivet in front of the ear, and added an extra hole above that to securely mount the visor.  During Selanne's early years in the NHL, he mounted his helmet with a horizontal screw configuration on the front piece of the helmet, which also works, but is likely less durable and secure.

Either way, Selanne seems to have been customizing his helmets for quite some time.  The JOFA 366 is a sweet helmet without the visor, but theres something awesome about rocking a visor on these helmets.

This last image dipicts Swedish player, Kjell Samuelsson playing for the Philadelphia Flyers, and his JOFA 366 with a 1Xcel visor. His visor is mounted the same as Selanne does his modern Oakley visor today; Selanne has also used a 1Xcel visor during his career, where he today uses the same modified visor mounting holes for his Oakley. Notice the yellow "1" logo on Selanne's visor below.