Jacques Plante: Behind the Mask

Ian A. Andrews is editor of the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association’s Focus and co-author of Becoming a Teacher.

Few hockey players have provoked revolutionary change in the game; they
are traditionally a very conservative lot. Their macho image and
reluctance to question management decisions are the expected norm. This
unquestioning obedience was not the style for Jacques Plante, the
Montreal Canadiens’ goalie whose stubborn insistence on wearing a
protective face mask provided the leadership necessary in
revolutionizing an important aspect of hockey.

Plante is portrayed by biographer Raymond Plante (no relation) as an
intelligent, opinionated analyst of the game. His style was unique: he
left his crease to retrieve loose pucks; he wore a toque in games; his
views conflicted with those of team manager Frank Selke; and he engaged
in “on the record” interviews with the media. Jacques blasted the
1955 suspension of Maurice Richard as “a case of flagrant
injustice.” And his Hall of Fame exploits between the pipes were
accomplished while contending with severe asthma.

The translator of Jacques Plante is not a hockey aficionado. One scores
a goal, not a “point”; hockey players receiving the Lady Byng trophy
are not referred to as “most courteous players”; one does not
“play” on the first All Star team at the end of the year; and the
word “puerile” is one not normally used in hockey circles. These few
points aside, the book provides an excellent character study into the
life of a true renegade in Cana- dian sports history.