Jacques Plante

Joseph Jacques Plante (Born January 17, 1929 in Shawinigan Falls, Québec; died February 27, 1986) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He played goaltender. His nickname was "Jake the Snake".

Playing Career

Plante began playing in the NHL in 1952 for the Montreal Canadiens, where he became well known and played the majority of his career.

Related Topics:
NHL - 1952 - Montreal Canadiens

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Plante is not generally acclaimed as "the greatest goalie of all time," but his contributions to how the position of goalie is understood are beyond that of any other individual. Plante was the first goalie to skate behind the net to stop the puck (a now common practice). He also was the first to raise his arm on an icing call to let his defensemen know what was happening. He perfected a stand-up style that emphasized positional play, cutting down the angles and staying square to the shooter.

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His greatest contribution to the game, however, occurred on November 1, 1959. He was hit in the face by a shot from New York Rangers player Andy Bathgate. He went to the dressing room for stitches. When he returned, he was wearing a goalie mask. His coach, Toe Blake, was livid, but he had no other goalie to call upon and Plante refused to return to the goal unless he kept the mask. Blake agreed on the condition that Plante discard the mask when the cut healed. Only Camille Henry beat him in that game which the Canadiens won 3-1. In the ensuing days Plante refused to discard the mask, and as the Canadiens continued to win, Blake became less obstinate. The winning streak stretched to 18 games. Plante didn't wear the mask, at Blake's request, against Detroit on March 8, 1960. The Canadiens lost 3-0, and the mask returned for good the next night. Plante designed his own mask and masks for other goalies. Hall of Famer Bernie Parent was among those who wore Plante's masks. Although Plante was not the first NHL goalie to wear a face mask (the honor going to Montreal Maroons goaltender Clint Benedict), Plante was the person who introduced the mask as everyday equipment, which continues to this day.

Related Topics:
November 1 - 1959 - New York Rangers - Andy Bathgate - Goalie mask - Toe Blake - Camille Henry - March 8 - 1960 - Hall of Famer - Bernie Parent - Montreal Maroons - Clint Benedict

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He was traded in the 1963 offseason to the New York Rangers with Phil Goyette and Don Marshall for Dave Balon, Leon Rochefort, Len Ronson and Gump Worsley, seemingly nearing the end of his career at age 34. He played another two (lackluster) seasons for the Rangers before retiring in 1965.

Related Topics:
1963 - New York Rangers - 1965

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In September of 1967, at the age of 36, he was lured back to the NHL by former Canadiens teammate Bert Olmstead, who had been named coach and general manager of the expansion Calfornia Seals. Plante signed a training camp try-out contract with the Seals, but his contract rights still belonged to the Rangers. He left the Seals' training camp and returned to his retirement.

Related Topics:
September - 1967 - NHL - Bert Olmstead - Calfornia Seals - Rangers

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But another chance to play was offered to him by the St. Louis Blues, who had claimed him off the Rangers roster in the Intra-League Draft on June 8th, 1968. His return to the NHL was successful, as he and teammate Glenn Hall split goaltending duties to lead the Blues to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1969. They shared the Vezina Trophy as best goaltenders in the league that season.

Related Topics:
St. Louis Blues - Rangers - June 8th - 1968 - NHL - Glenn Hall - Goaltending - Stanley Cup - 1969 - Vezina Trophy

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He played another splendid season in St. Louis, but with up-and-coming goalie Ernie Wakely on the team, the aged Plante was sold to the Toronto Maple Leafs in May, 1970. In his first season with the Leafs he proved he was not past it by leading the league with the third lowest goals against average (1.88) of the entire expansion era (up to the last few seasons) and was named a league Second Team All-Star.

Related Topics:
Ernie Wakely - Toronto Maple Leafs - May - 1970

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His third season was not as successful, and he was traded again near the end 1972–1973 to the Boston Bruins for goaltender Ed Johnston. He recorded a long-remembered shutout in his Bruins debut against Chicago and remained very effective in eight regular-season games, but played poorly in two playoff games, and at age 44, Plante's long NHL career was finally over.

Related Topics:
1972 - 1973 - Boston Bruins - Ed Johnston

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He joined the rival World Hockey Association in 1973 as general manager of the Quebec Nordiques, but lasted only one season there before being lured out of retirement yet again to play for the WHA team which held his playing rights: the Edmonton Oilers. He played one season for the Oilers before retiring for the third and last time at age 46.

Related Topics:
World Hockey Association - Quebec Nordiques - Edmonton Oilers

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Jacques Plante died of stomach cancer in Sierre, Valais, Switzerland, where he had been living for a number of years. He was only 57 years old.

Related Topics:
Cancer - Sierre - Valais - Switzerland

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