A Moment in Hockey History - The Face Mask
The first goalie to wear a mask was Jacques Plante, a highly respected player with the Montreal Canadiens, and one of the legends of hockey. He was an odd fellow, prone to asthma attacks, and to getting more injuries than many other hockey players. He preferred reading books and painting over going to parties with his teammates. During his career, he had gotten more than two hundred facial stitches. In that era, a few hundred stitches were not highly unusual for a hockey player, but generally they were not just on the face. He also had had two broken cheekbones, four broken noses, and a fractured skull. Before Plante, several goalies had tried to use masks, but they were wire (similar to ones used by baseball catchers) and impaired vision to some extent.
As the 1958 hockey season was coming to an end, Plante was injured when a puck hit his forehead. A member of the audience that worked in fiberglass wrote Plante a letter, and explained how he could make a mask molded to fit Plante's face, and strong enough to protect it. Plante agreed to sit as a model for the mask, and to wear it during the next hockey season. He brought it out during the preseason games, and was laughed at and criticized by the hockey community. His coach in Montreal was sure that the mask reduced his vision and asked him not to wear it. About two months later, Plante was in a game when someone hit a backhanded from the side of the net. There were too many players around the goal for Plante to see the puck, and the puck sliced into the side of his nose, which bled profusely. It took seven stitches to close the wound.
Plante would not go into the next game unless he was allowed to wear his mask. Since the Canadiens were traveling, the rules at the time required the host team to provide a backup if the goalie became unable to play. Teams in the 1950s did not travel with backup goalies, and the goalie that the home team found was overweight, nearly forty years old, and had not played recently. The coach of the Canadiens decided to let Plante play, for he would be a much better choice for goalie even wearing his mask. The Canadiens won that game, three to one.
Further, Plante contributed to the Canadiens winning the next eleven games in a row, all while wearing his mask. To make sure that the mask did not impair vision, his coach still required that Plante have an eye exam while wearing his specially designed mask. Two other goalies joined Plante that year, and slowly the practice spread. The last bare faced goalies were seen on the professional hockey circuit appeared in the early 1970s.
Comments
Menu
My Articles
Women In HockeyIce Hockey In Movies, Television, And Music
Women's Hockey Teams
Using Your Hockey Stick Effectively
Pro Hockey Games That Are Not On Television
Hockey Players Mismanaging Their Money
The Hockey Team Of The Decade
Hockey Players And Charity Causes
Athletes Who Buy Into The NHL Franchise
Hockey Players And The Groupies Who Chase Them
A Hockey Great - Wayne Gretzky
Common Injuries To Hockey Players
When Hockey Players Were Tough
Equipment And Warm-ups For New Hockey Players
A Moment In Hockey History - The Face Mask
How The Strike Changed National Hockey League Rules
The Terminology Used In Hockey
How The Game Of Hockey Is Played
Top Attendance Records In Hockey And Number Of Registered Players
Hockey At The International Level
Common Problems In Ice Hockey Skating Techniques
The History Of Hockey
The Origin Of Ice Hockey, Skates And Rink Maintenance
African-Americans In The NHL
My Articles Women In Hockey Ice hockey has increased in popularity in women's sports with the.. The Hockey Team Of The Decade Let's go back twenty years to the Olympics of Lake Placid... The History Of Hockey This unique sport of using a stick and a hard rubber puck has.. Common Problems In Ice Hockey Skating Techniques A good hockey player depends upon a great skating technique to support his game.. |
|
|
Related News:
|