Today In NHL History - Plante's Goalie Mask

On November 1st in 1959, Jacques Plante took a wrist shot in the face from Hart winner Andy Bathgate. Seven stitches and 21 minutes later, Plante returned wearing a mask to the chagrin of Canadiens coach Toe Blake, forever changing the face of NHL goaltending.

Plante had been using the homemade mask during practices but no goalie ever wore one in a game.  Despite Blake's protest, Plante refused to return to the ice without additional protection and Blake had no backup.  The Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Rangers by a score of 3–1.

Plante maintained the mask long after his injury healed launching an 18 game unbeaten streak in the process.  Ironically, the streak snapped when Blake requested the seven-time Vezina winner and six-time Stanley Cup champion to remove the mask, resulting in a 3-0 loss to Detroit.

Interestingly, prior to his "Let's Make A Deal" television fame, Monty Hall was a radio analyst for the New York Rangers during the 1959-1960 season and covered the game at issue.  In a recent interview with Marc Maron for the WTF podcast, Monty recalls the injury, ensuing delay and the moment a masked-Plante returned to the resounding disapproval of MSG fans who showered the backstop with boos.

A comprehensive history of this landmark NHL moment has been scribed by Stu Hackel of The New York Times and may be found here.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Helm's Halloween Costume

On October 31st in 2010, Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm dressed up as his locker room stallmate and sometimes linemate Todd Bertuzzi, complete with matching fake tattoos courtesy of Jeff Shea at Wholeshot Tattoo and favorite pieces from the veteran's wardrobe.

Triple-taken by the sight of Helm when arriving at the team's Halloween party, Bertuzzi described the costume and ensuing impersonation as "awesome", noting "he's a good kid and he did a really good job".

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Craig Anderson Returns

On October 30th in 2016, Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson returned after a brief absence to care for his wife Nicholle, who had just been diagnosed with a rare form of throat cancer, to backstop his team to a 2-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

Anderson stopped all 37 shots he faced, including 18 in the third period, to post the 35th shutout of his career. With news of his wife's illness made public a day earlier, the Oilers fans and goalie Cam Talbot loudly applauded Anderson as the game's first star.
Post game comments from an emotional Senators side emphasized the respect and support the squad has for Anderson and Nicholle.
After six months of radiation treatment and chemotherapy, Nicholle was declared cancer free. Anderson led the Senators all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

At the end of the season, the Professional Hockey Writers' Association selected Craig Anderson as the winner of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is for the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, dedication and sportsmanship to hockey.
Most importantly, Nicholle remains cancer free and healthy.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Gretzky's Jersey Typo

On October 30th in 1997, New York Rangers forward Wayne Gretzky skated in a game against cross-river rival New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum with his name mispelled "Gretkzy" on the back of his jersey.

Far from an isolated incident in the world of sport with typos and misspellings abound, rarely does it involve the sports greatest player of all time skating for one of the league's highest profile teams. Even rapper Kanye West agrees this is the greatest jersey foul of all-time.


The Islanders beat the Rangers that night by a score of 5-3.

That's today in NHL history.