Monday, November 2, 2009

The Goalie Mask: Fifty Years of Pucks to the Face

Turns out I missed an important anniversary yesterday. The goalie mask made its debut in the National Hockey League fifty years ago, when Jacques Plante of the Montreal Canadiens wore one in a game on November 1, 1959.

Hockey fans--and slasher film devotees--rejoice.

This story from the Chicago Sun-Times has all the details, including a quote from current Blackhawks goaltender Cristobal Huet on what would happen if he tried to face down a slapshot without his mask (“I’d be dead right now") and a mention of the wonderfully named anti-mask Montreal coach, Toe Blake.

But how does one celebrate an anniversary like this?

3 comments:

  1. With a fruitcake -- the closest thing to an edible hockey puck I know of.

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  2. By terrorizing and slashing random teenagers in the abandoned summer camp owned by your mom. Or with a fruitcake.

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  3. Thing is, I don't know which is more horrible: the terrorizing and slashing or the fruitcake. And I was just gonna suggest knocking out some teeth.

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