In 1959, Jacques Plante became the first NHL goaltender to play in a mask

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November 1, 1959: Life is tough for a hockey goaltender. still. But at least today the goalkeepers are wearing protective masks. The legendary Jacques Plante made this socially acceptable.

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“There were no masks and the coach always told the goalie: ‘Use your head!’ That’s what I did.”

It's a different time now, back after World War II. When 1970s HC Ambri-Piotta player-coach Andy Bathgate broke his nose with a power shot at the end of his NHL career, Jacques Plante had had enough.

“If I have to use my head, I might as well wear a mask,” the goalkeeper said, starting to protect himself. After Bathgate suffered a head injury, Plant went to the Montreal Canadiens locker room but returned to the ice against the New York Rangers.

Concerns with Coaches

Wear a mask. He carries them with him because he has come to rely on them in training. But what about in games? Canadiens head coach To Black is skeptical. “If the mask is affecting his game, he should try not wearing one,” he told the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail a few weeks after the premiere. Black worried that Plant's vision might be limited.

This fear is unfounded. The Canadiens defeated the Rangers 3-1, and even though Plant refused to play without a mask from now on, Montreal still managed a great victory. They went undefeated in 18 games until early March 1960 when Jacques Plante caved and once again played without a mask at the request of coach Black. After a 3-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, Plant wore a mask again for the rest of the game. At the end of the season, the Montreal Canadiens won their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

horrible!Image: imago-images.de

Even before Plant, there were goalies trying to protect their faces. But those were more like leather bandages. Masks have become socially acceptable since Plant; they have long been a regulatory requirement for goalkeepers.

Leave a trace in Switzerland

Plant was also one of the first goalkeepers to take the field. What was unusual about that one was the way he left the goal area and parked the puck behind the goal. “Snake Jack” won the Stanley Cup six times. He is also one of the few goaltenders to win the Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's regular season MVP. He is also the namesake of another award in Switzerland.

In 1975, Jacques Plante resigned and moved to the Valais to live with his second wife. The NHL Hall of Famer lived there until his death from stomach cancer in 1986. His widow donated the Jacques Plante Trophy in memory of her late husband, and it has been given annually since then to honor Switzerland's best ice hockey goaltender.