Jacques Plante

Jacques Plante (January 17, 1929 - February 27, 1986) was a Canadian ice hockey player.

Born Joseph Jacques Omer Plante in Mont Carmel, Quebec, he served as a goalie for a variety of teams, most notably for the Montreal Canadiens.

He was an important innovator in the sport for introducing a more active defensive play as the first goalie to leave his net to handle the puck in the corners. He was the first hockey player to regularly wear a protective mask in the National Hockey League. Although the management was resistant to the innovation, his example soon led to the mask becoming standard equipment for all goalies in the sport and a symbol of it.

In his illustrious career, Jacques Plante:

• led Montreal to 6 Stanley Cups;
• won 7 Vezina Trophies, of which 6 were won consecutively;
• won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the National Hockey League's Most Valuable Player in 1962.
• played in 8 All-Star games
• was inducted into the National Hockey League Hall of Fame in 1978.

Jacques Plante died of cancer in Sierre, Valais, Switzerland, where he had been living for a number of years.