|
In a previous blog, I mentioned that, although I am a die hard Bruins fan, I wasn't raised to be such. My family is french Canadian and up until my generation, we spoke French as a first language. This may seem odd being that my family has lived in the area of Windsor, Ontario for about a century but truth is, Windsor has a very large French population (last I checked 20% of the population spoke French.) As such, the majority of my family bleed the bleu, blanc et rouge of the Montreal Canadiens. So needless to say, when I was born my affiliation to an NHL team was already chosen for me. It wasn't until I was 5 or 6 that I thankfully became a fan of the black and gold.
My family is quite ordinary. With the exception of a few of my cousins who went on to become working professionals, the bulk of my family are hard working. blue collar people who have spent their lives working in the assembly plants of the big 3. Despite this my family has one thing about it that many families cannot say; We are directly related to the great Jacques Plante.
Plante after that historic game in New York.
While this blog is commited to blogging all things Bruins, I think it's important to also blog the history of the sport. 50 years ago this Sunday, Jacques Plante was hit in the face by an Andy Bathgate shot, slicing the Canadiens goaltender from the corner of the left side of his lip, all the way up to his nostril. Descriptions of the scene were what you would expect of such an occurrence. A pool of blood quickly developed beneath a slumped Plante. Plante was quickly taken to the medical room of the Madison square gardens for repairs. At this time in the games history, NHL teams didn't have backup goalies, so the game was put on hold until Plante got stitched up. But there was a problem. Plante informed Canadiens coach Toe Blake that he would not return to the game without wearing a plexiglass mask he had been wearing in practice. Blake refused to allow Plate to return to the ice wearing the mask stating that Plante would lose the puck any time it would fall between his feet. Plante still refused to play and without a backup goalie, Blake relented and Plante returned to the ice donning a creme coloured mask much to the amazement of the home town New York Rangers and their fans. The Canadiens would go on to win the game 3-1 and Plante would continue to wear a mask for the remainder of his career with the other goaltenders in the league soon following suit.
One could argue that Plante was not the originator of wearing a mask. 30 years earlier, Clint Benedict of the Montreal Maroons was hit in the face by a shot off the stick of Howie Morenz, breaking his nose and cheekbone. Benedict would return to the game wearing a leather face mask that resembled a mask that boxers wore for sparring. The Benedict experiment would only last two games as the large portion of the mask protecting the nose hindered Benedict's sight. Thus Plante is often credited as the Godfather of the modern goaltender mask.
Think of how the game would be today had Plante not worn that mask. Would we see the amazing saves that Tim Thomas seems to pull off game in and game out? The mask itself has even become an extension of the goaltenders persona, with intricate designs being airbrushed onto it.
Tanks Mask
Today's goaltenders have a lot to be thankful for. State of the art technology has allowed the goaltenders of today to evolve the game, making more exciting for the fans. Pads that are lightweight but offer more protection than pads from 20 years ago, form fitting gloves allow them to snag or block pucks shot at 100+ mph and masks that are essentially bullet proof. Guys like Tim Thomas and his counterparts would not the be the players they are today without the great Jacques Plante and other innovators of the position. So this Sunday, while you're watching the B's take on the Rangers, just think of how the game would be today had it not been for Jacques Plante and Clint Benedict.
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 