November 1st marks the 50th anniversary of the first time a goalie, Jacques Plante, wore a mask in an NHL game. Not quite the same as Willie O’Ree breaking the NHL’s color barrier, or even the addition of the forward pass – a rule cursed by goalies ever since – but a landmark event in hockey history. Plante went on to revolutionize the mask from his original solid fiberglass cutout to the version worn by many pros in the 70’s. Along the way Doug Favell painted his mask for Halloween and in the process an art form was born.
On November 1st 1959 Jacques Plante became the first NHL goalie to wear a mask in a game after being cut for seven stitches.
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