We can only imagine that he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.Gauze face mask Clip Art by Barbulat 1 / 274 Protective Face Mask. But while those are important contributions, the mask will forever symbolize just how truly important Plante was to the game. There’s no question Plante’s illustrious career is overshadowed by what he did that November night at Madison Square Garden and how, over the years, many have forgotten the road he paved for players like Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur with his innovative stick-handling skills and his ability to cut down angles. Jacques Plante retired from hockey in 1975 and was honored with a Hall of Fame induction just three years later. After his career, he was able to watch the evolution of the equipment he boldly made popular – until his life was cut suddenly short in 1986, at the age of 57. He never got to see just how much more advanced the goaltender mask became and how it not only became an NHL fashion statement, but how the style leaked over to the catcher’s position in Major League baseball. Jacques Plante, during his final season with Edmonton Oilers in the WHA. The masks, in the beginning, started out compiled mostly of fiberglass – much the way Plante had created his – but quickly evolved as popularity grew. Within just a few seasons nearly every goaltender wore one. He was often laughed at and made fun of, though it wasn’t long before the rest of the league’s goaltenders were following in his footsteps. When Plante introduced the mask to the rest of the NHL some questioned his dedication and bravery but he just likened it to skydiving without a parachute. I’ll tell you something, if I went on the way I was going, pretty soon my face would look worse than the mask. They wouldn’t come to see the games anymore. When I first put on the mask, the boys all told me I would scare the women. Montreal lost to Detroit 3-0 that night and afterward, the mask returned – this time for good. As the wins began to mount, Blake remained quiet about discarding the equipment but after the team’s unbeaten streak ended at 18 games, Plante adhered to Blake’s request and wore nothing on his face. Montreal held on to beat the Rangers 3-1 and so the mask was born.Ĭall it superstition or just plain stubbornness, but Plante continued to wear the mask – even after his face healed – and the Canadiens continued to win. (THW Archives)Ĭanadiens head coach Toe Blake was unhappy about the mask but because the team had no other option at goaltender, he allowed Plante to return if he promised to discard the mask after his face healed. Jacques Plante holds the Montreal Canadiens record for wins by a goaltender. But six years later, Plante wouldn’t just become immortalized – he’d become a legend. Montreal Canadiens Come Calling for Jacques PlanteĪlmost six years later, Plante got the call-up to play for the Montreal Canadiens and just months later he – and the rest of the Canadiens – were immortalized with their names engraved on the Stanley Cup, though he was the second option to goaltender Gerry McNeil. Fans found the new style exciting but Plante only did it with the idea that as long as he controlled the puck, his opponents wouldn’t be able to shoot at him. Plante began to play the puck outside of the crease, developing the technique after noticing that his team’s defense was performing poorly. As he grew up, Plante excelled at the position of goaltender and by the age of 18 he joined the a juniors team called the Quebec Citadelles, at which point it was clear that he would innovate the game in one form or another. Plante, a Quebec native, began to play hockey at the age of four – with a tennis ball for a puck, no skates and a goaltender’s hockey stick his father carved from a tree root.
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