The Day Hockey Got a Little Less Scary

On November 1, 1959, the world of professional hockey changed forever—and it was all thanks to a very painful lesson. The day after Halloween, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante decided he had finally had enough of taking pucks to the face. After suffering a severe facial injury during a game against the New York Rangers, Plante returned to the ice wearing a crude, homemade fiberglass mask. While his coach, the legendary Toe Blake, was reportedly horrified and initially forbade him from wearing it, Plante refused to return to the net without his new 'face-saver.' His bold move not only revolutionized player safety but also turned the previously 'tough' look of a bloodied goalie into a thing of the past!