Birth Of The Hockey Mask

Some things are just so commonplace nowadays that their previous absence seems hard to fathom.

Such is the case with hockey—and in particular, the goalie’s use of a mask. Protecting one’s FACE from a hockey puck travelling hundred miles an hour would appear to be common sense, no?

Well, in fact, it was never done—until this date in 1959.

Montreal Canadiens goalie Jacques Plante became the first NHL goalie to wear a mask during a game. Oftentimes, goalies would employ them in practice, but never during an actual game. Of course, these were the days when helmets were never worn either. At least that omission is more reasonable, but the goalie?

He’s the TARGET, for cryin’ out loud!

Barely three minutes into a game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, Plante took a close-up backhand shot to the face. It split his lip all the way up to his nostril. Blood was everywhere, but remarkably, Plante kept playing.

After a time, however, it was clear that he needed stitches—an operation performed in about 20 minutes in the locker room. When he returned, he carried with him his cream-colored mask.

Canadiens head coach Toe Blake threw a fit.

Blake never allowed Plante to wear a mask in a game, but this time, Plante dug in his heels. In an era when teams didn’t carry an extra goalie on the roster, Plante told Blake that he simply would not play without the mask. The coach backed down—and a new era of protection in hockey was born.

Plante was ridiculed for weeks—even by fellow goalies—but since he was a premier player and it was clear the mask didn’t adversely affect his game, the hockey community finally came around to the notion of protecting their goalkeeper.

Here’s a short video on Plante’s bold move:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMbXU4njAw4

When jeered by fans and reporters about the mask, he simply said, “I already had four broken noses, a broken jaw, two broken cheekbones and almost 200 stitches in my head. I don’t care how the mask looks!”

Indeed.

Maybe he should have pioneered the hockey mask a tad earlier in his career.


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