Jacques Plante

Lore & Background

Plante was born on a farm near Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, Quebec, the first of 11 children. He began playing hockey at age three using a goaltender's stick carved by his father from a tree root. As a child, he suffered from asthma and a broken hand that failed to heal properly, affecting his early playing style. His mother taught him to knit tuques, which he wore during games until entering the NHL. Plante's first organized hockey came at age 12 when he replaced a goaltender ordered off the ice; he impressed the coach and became the team's number-one goaltender. By age 14, he played for five different teams and demanded a salary of 50 cents per game from a factory team. He graduated high school with top honours in 1947 before turning professional.

Reader's Guide

Plante's significance lies in his innovations that transformed goaltending. He was the first NHL goaltender to wear a goaltender mask in regulation play on a regular basis, developing and testing many versions with expert assistance, including the forerunner of today's mask/helmet combination. He also pioneered playing the puck outside his crease to support defencemen, a technique he developed while with the Quebec Citadelles when the team's defense was poor. This practice, initially angering managers, is now standard. Plante often instructed teammates from behind the play. His career included six Stanley Cup wins with the Montreal Canadiens, including five consecutive, and he won five consecutive Vezina Trophies. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978, named goaltender of the Canadiens' dream team in 1985, and his jersey #1 was retired by the Canadiens in 1995. He ranks seventh among NHL goalies for all-time career wins with 437.

Did You Know?

• Plante's father made his first goalie pads by stuffing potato sacks and reinforcing them with wooden panels.
• Plante knitted his own tuques and wore them while playing until entering the NHL.
• He was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in 2017.