The evening of the 1stum In November 1959, the Canadian Hockey Club played at the Rangers' rink in New York. Madison Square Garden is full. New Yorkers came to see the Richard brothers, the great Béliveau, Boum-Boum Geoffrion, Doug Harvey and of course Vezina Trophy winner Jacques Plante. Sainte-Flanelle is the team of the moment in the National League, having just won four Stanley Cups and appearing determined to win a fifth.
Just four minutes into the game, Rangers right winger Andy Bathgate fired a powerful shot that hit the left side of Jacques Plante's face. The Canadian goalkeeper collapsed on the ice with a bloody face. We later learned, by his own admission, that the Rangers player had deliberately aimed his shot at Jacques Plante's head in revenge for the goalkeeper spearing him with his stick earlier in the game.
The injury is serious, Jacques Plante leaves the ice rink with the help of his teammates and goes to the infirmary, where he has numerous stitches in his face.
Before the mask, goalkeepers in ice hockey were often injured. UPI/Bettmann/Detroit Times
You should know that in 1959, teams only had one goalkeeper in the lineup for their away games. If the latter was injured, the local team would provide one, often a young player.
In this regard, coach Toe Blake asks his injured goalie to return to the ice. Plante accepts, but on the condition that he can return to battle wearing a protective mask.
As he arrived on the ice, the 15,925 spectators in attendance at Madison Square Garden that evening began to grumble. The journalists are surprised, then the New York team's supporters make fun of him. Some will try to intimidate him, for example by suggesting that he take off his Halloween costume (it's November 1st, let's remember that). Plante was undeterred, he stopped 29 of the 30 shots aimed at him and led his team to a 3-1 victory.
The mask didn't appear by chance
During his training sessions, Jacques Plante was able to fire up to 300 shots, while during a game he fired about ten times fewer. Plante had already worn a mask in training for several years. It must be said that he had already broken his jaw twice, his nose about three times, not to mention his broken cheekbones and the hundreds of stitches on his face. The fiberglass company made him a mask that protected him during training.
The goalkeeper position in ice hockey has long been the most injury-prone position. Jacques Plante's first mask was fitted to his face, then he worked on improving his prototype. He holds the targets with a more ventilated fiberglass mask (pretzel style). We had to wait for Russian goaltender Vladislav Tretiak (1972 series) to see the grill helmet appear in America. PHOTO: PC
However, Jacques Plante is not the first National League player to wear a mask during a game. The honor goes to a Montreal Maroons goalie, Clint Benedict. When Benedict returned to the game on February 22, 1930 after breaking his nose, he wore a rudimentary leather mask to protect his net. His mask barely protected his forehead, nose and chin. In addition, his vision was partially restricted and he had difficulty seeing his skates. After five meetings, he gave up his flimsy protection.
Pressure to give up the mask
After the November 1 game against the New York Rangers, Plante continued to guard the goal with his mask on, despite his coach's reluctance. Toe Blake believed that if a goalkeeper did not fear for his life, he would not be alert enough to defend his net well. Blake also feared that the mask would block his view and that his player would be humiliated by the fans.
Plante does what he wants and wins eight consecutive victories. In fact, the goalkeeper only allowed 13 goals in his first eleven games with a mask on his face. After 50 games, Plante gave in to pressure from his coach and agreed to play without a mask against the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadian loses the game 3-0. You can imagine that after this defeat, no one will ask him to keep goal without his famous mask.
Jacques Plante won the Stanley Cup six times, including five consecutive years from 1955 to 1960. B Bennett/Getty Images
Training phenomenon
A few weeks later, in December 1959, Boston Bruins goaltender Don Simmons also appeared in front of his net wearing a mask. He clears the opponent. That was all we needed to question the absurdity of being pelted with hockey pucks with no face and possibly head protection.
Although many were tempted to wear a mask during practice, many owners, general managers and coaches disapproved of this new trend during games. Some even went so far as to say that this face mask was a sign of weakness or lack of courage, or that the mask prevented onlookers from seeing the warrior faces of the guards.
In short: Despite the protests, the mask will be imposed on the entire league. On April 7, 1974, Andy Brown of the Pittsburgh Penguins became the last goaltender to play openly in the best hockey circuit in the world.
Jacques Plante's Childhood Jacques Plante learned to play hockey in Shawinigan. He chooses the goalkeeper position by default because he is asthmatic. He comes from a humble and very resourceful family. It was his father who cut his first stick from a tree. His leggings are made from filled potato sacks. He learned to knit from his mother to make hoods to keep warm on the ice. Library and Archives Canada