Editing Jacques Plante (section)

==Playing career==
===Minor leagues===
[[File:Citadellesdequebec.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Plante, seated in front in [[tuque]], with the [[Quebec Citadelles#Other teams with the same name|Quebec Citadelles]]]]
Jacques joined the [[Quebec Citadelles#Other teams with the same name|Quebec Citadelles]] in 1947. While playing for Quebec, Plante started to play the puck outside his crease,<ref name="TwentyFour">Plante, R., p. 24.</ref> a technique he developed when he recognized that the team's defense was performing poorly. Fans found Plante's unconventional playing style to be exciting,<ref name="TwentyThree">Plante, R., p. 23.</ref> but it angered his managers, who believed that a goaltender should stay in the net and let his players recover the puck.<ref name="TwentyFour"/> Plante had concluded that as long as he was in control of the puck, the opponents could not shoot it at him – this is now standard practice for goaltenders.<ref name="TwentyFive">Plante, R., p. 25.</ref> The same season, the Citadelles beat the [[Montreal Junior Canadiens]] in the league finals, with Plante being named the most valuable player on his team.<ref name="TwentySix">Plante, R., p. 26.</ref> The [[Montreal Canadiens]]' general manager, [[Frank J. Selke]], became interested in acquiring Plante as a member of the team.<ref name="TwentySix"/> In 1948, Plante received an invitation to the Canadiens' training camp. On August 17, 1949, Selke offered Plante a contract. Plante played for Montreal's affiliate [[Royal Montreal Hockey Club]], earning $4,500 for the season, and an extra $500 for practicing with the Canadiens.<ref name="ThirtyOne">Plante, R., p. 31.</ref>

In January 1953, Plante was called up to play for the Canadiens. [[Bill Durnan]], the goaltender who played for Montreal when Plante first began, had retired in 1950, and [[Gerry McNeil]], their top goaltender, had fractured his jaw.<ref name="1on1"/> Plante played three games, but in that short time, he generated controversy. Coach [[Dick Irvin|Dick Irvin, Sr.]] did not wish his players to stand out by any addition to their regular uniforms.<ref name="ThirtyEight">Plante, R., p. 38.</ref> Plante always wore one of his tuques while playing hockey, and after an argument with Irvin, all of Plante's tuques had vanished from the Montreal locker room.<ref name="ThirtyNine">Plante, R., p. 39.</ref> Even without his good luck charm,<ref name="ThirtyEight"/> Plante gave up only four goals in the three games he played, all of them wins.<ref name="ThirtyNine"/>

Later during the [[1952–53 NHL season]], Plante played in the playoffs against the [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks]]. He won his first playoff game with a shutout.<ref name="Irvin94">Irvin (1991), p. 94.</ref> Montreal won that series and eventually, the Stanley Cup, and Plante's name was engraved on the Cup for the first time.<ref name="Irvin94"/>

At the beginning of 1953, McNeil was still the starting goaltender for the Canadiens.<ref name="mcneil">{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18623|title=Gerry George McNeil|publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame|access-date=March 12, 2008}}</ref> Selke assigned Plante to the [[Buffalo Bisons (AHL)|Buffalo Bisons]] of the [[American Hockey League]] so fans in the United States would get to know him.<ref name="Forty">Plante, R., p. 40.</ref> Plante was instantly successful; Fred Hunt, the general manager of the Bisons, told [[Kenny Reardon]], Montreal's recruiting manager, "he's <nowiki>[Plante]</nowiki> the biggest attraction since the good old days of [[Terry Sawchuk]]."<ref name="Forty"/>

===Montreal Canadiens===
By the end of the [[1953–54 NHL season|1953–54 season]], Plante was well-entrenched within the NHL.<ref>Adrahtas, p. 52.</ref> In the spring of 1954, he underwent surgery to correct his left hand, which he had broken in his childhood. He could not move his hand well enough to catch high shots and compensated by using the rest of his body. The operation was successful.<ref name="FortySeven">Plante, R., p. 47.</ref>

On February 12, 1954, Plante was called up to the Canadiens and established himself as their starting goaltender – he did not return to the minor leagues for many years.<ref name="Hunter118">Hunter, D., p. 118.</ref> Plante was the Canadiens' number one goaltender at the beginning of the [[1954–55 NHL season]]. On March 13, 1955, with only four games left in the season, an on-ice brawl resulted in the suspension of Montreal's leading scorer, [[Maurice Richard]], for the rest of the season and the playoffs. Four nights later, playing in Montreal in front of an angry crowd, Plante was witness to the [[Richard Riot|riot]] that followed. The Canadiens subsequently lost to the [[Detroit Red Wings]] in the finals.<ref>Irvin (1991), p. 125.</ref>

For the [[1955–56 NHL season|1955–56 season]], Plante was the unchallenged starting goaltender of the Canadiens; [[Gerry McNeil]] had not played the previous season and was sent to the [[Royal Montreal Hockey Club|Montreal Royals]]. [[Charlie Hodge (ice hockey)|Charlie Hodge]], Plante's backup the previous season, was sent to the [[Seattle_Totems#Seattle_Americans_(1955–58)|Seattle Americans]], a Canadiens' farm team.<ref name="SixtyTwo">Plante, R., p. 62.</ref> Later that season, Montreal won the Stanley Cup, the first of what would be five consecutive Stanley Cup championship seasons.<ref>Irvin (1991), p.&nbsp;130.</ref> For his part, Plante won the first of five consecutive [[Vezina Trophy|Vezina Trophies]].<ref>Plante, R., pp. 205–207</ref> The [[1956–57 NHL season|next season]], Plante missed most of November because of chronic [[bronchitis]], a consequence of asthma that had affected him since childhood.<ref name="SixtyFour">Plante, R., p. 64.</ref> During the [[1957–58 NHL season]], the Canadiens won their third straight Stanley Cup despite injuries to Plante and other members of the team. Plante's asthma was getting worse. He sustained a concussion with just a few weeks left in the season and missed three games of the playoffs.<ref name="SeventyOne">Plante, R., p. 71.</ref> In the sixth game of the Stanley Cup finals, Plante's asthma was making him dizzy, and he was having difficulty concentrating; he collapsed at the end of the game after teammate [[Doug Harvey (ice hockey)|Doug Harvey]] scored the series-winning goal.<ref name="SeventyThree">Plante, R., p. 73.</ref> The Canadiens went on to win the Stanley Cup again at the close of the [[1958-59 NHL season|1958–59 season]].<ref>Plante, R., p. 206</ref>

====Goalie mask====
[[File:Plante Mask.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Plante's original fibreglass mask|alt=the mask is white and of solid construction with egg-sized oval cutouts for the eyes and a rectangular cutout from the base of the nose to below the lower lip]]
During the [[1959–60 NHL season|1959–60 season]], Plante wore a [[goaltender mask]] for the first time in a regular season game. Although Plante had used his mask in practice since 1956 after missing 13 games because of a [[sinusitis]] operation,<ref name="Legends HHOF"/> head coach [[Toe Blake]] was afraid it would impair his vision and would not permit him to wear it during regulation play.<ref name="Fischler27">Fischler, S., pp. 27–28.</ref> However, on November 1, 1959, Plante's nose was broken when he was hit by a shot fired by [[Andy Bathgate]] three minutes into a game against the [[New York Rangers]], and he was taken to the dressing room for stitches. When he returned, he was wearing the crude homemade goaltender mask that he had been using in practices. Blake was livid, but he had no other goaltender to call upon and Plante refused to return to the goal unless he wore the mask. Blake agreed on the condition that Plante discard the mask when the cut healed.<ref name="Fischler27"/> The Canadiens won the game 3–1. During the following days, Plante refused to discard the mask, and as the Canadiens continued to win, Blake was less vocal about it.<ref name="Eighty">Plante, R., p. 80.</ref> The unbeaten streak stretched to 18 games.<ref name="Hunter119">Hunter, D., p.&nbsp;119.</ref> Plante did not wear the mask, at Blake's request, against Detroit on March 8, 1960; the Canadiens lost 3–0, and the mask returned for good the next night.<ref name="EightyOne">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;81.</ref> That year, the Canadiens won their fifth straight Stanley Cup, which was Plante's last.<ref name="VIIIV">Adrahtas, p.&nbsp;85.</ref>

Plante subsequently designed his own and other goaltenders' masks.<ref name="TwoZeroFive">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;205.</ref> He was not the first NHL goaltender known to wear a face mask. [[Montreal Maroons]]' [[Clint Benedict]] wore a crude leather version in 1930 to protect a broken nose, but Plante introduced the mask as everyday equipment, and it is now mandatory [[Ice hockey goaltending equipment|equipment for goaltenders]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p196502&page=bio#photo
|title=Clint Benedict—Biography
|publisher=[[Hockey Hall of Fame]]
|access-date=January 28, 2008}}</ref>

===Trade to New York and first retirement===
Hampered by terrible pain in his left knee<ref name="NineSix">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;96.</ref> during the [[1960–61 NHL season]], Plante was sent down to the minor league Montreal Royals. Torn cartilage was found in his knee, and the knee was surgically repaired during the summer of 1961.<ref name="OneZeroFive">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;105.</ref> The [[1961–62 NHL season|next season]], Plante became the fourth goaltender to win the [[Hart Memorial Trophy]], while winning the [[Vezina Trophy]] for the sixth time.<ref name="TwoZeroEight">Plante, R. p.&nbsp;208.</ref> The [[1962–63 NHL season|1962–63 season]] was unsettling for Plante.<ref name="OneOneSeven">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;117.</ref> His asthma had worsened, and he missed most of the early season.<ref name="OneOneSeven"/> His relationship with his coach, [[Toe Blake]], continued to deteriorate because of Plante's persistent health problems.<ref name="OneOneSeven"/> Later, Plante was at the centre of a major controversy when he claimed that net sizes in the NHL were not uniform, thus giving a statistical advantage to goaltenders playing for the [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks]], [[Boston Bruins]], and [[New York Rangers]].<ref name="OneOneEight">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;118.</ref> His claim was later confirmed as the result of a manufacturing error.<ref name="OneOneNine">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;119.</ref>

After the Canadiens were eliminated for the third straight year in the first playoff round during the spring of 1963, there was mounting pressure for change from their fans and media.<ref name="IIV"/> Growing tension between Plante and Blake because of Plante's inconsistent work ethic and demeanor caused Blake to declare that for the 1963–64 season either he or Plante must go.<ref name="IIV"/> On June 4, 1963, Plante was traded to the New York Rangers, with [[Phil Goyette]] and [[Donnie Marshall|Don Marshall]] in exchange for [[Gump Worsley]], [[Dave Balon]], [[Leon Rochefort]], and [[Len Ronson]].<ref name="IIV">Adrahtas, p.&nbsp;115.</ref> Plante played for the Rangers for one full season and part of a second. He retired in 1965 while playing for the Rangers' [[American Hockey League|AHL]] affiliate, the [[Baltimore Clippers]]. His wife was ill at the time, and he required surgery on his right knee.<ref>Adrahtas, p.&nbsp;180.</ref>

Upon retirement, Plante took a job with [[Molson]] as a sales representative but remained active in the NHL. In 1965, [[Scotty Bowman]] asked Plante to play for the Montreal Jr. Canadiens in a game against the Soviet National Team. Honoured to represent his country, Plante agreed, and after receiving permission from both the Rangers (who owned his rights) and Molson, he began practising. The Canadiens won 2–1, and Plante was named first star of the game.<ref name="OneFourNine">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;149.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ncQtAAAAIBAJ&pg=4700%2C3740158|title=Jacques Plante Accorded Greatest Forum Ovation|access-date=August 27, 2012|work=[[The Montreal Gazette]]|date=December 16, 1965|page=42}}</ref>

===Comeback to professional hockey===
At the beginning of the [[1967–68 NHL season]], Plante received a call from his ex-teammate [[Bert Olmstead]] seeking some help coaching the expansion [[Oakland Seals]].<ref name="OneEightOneII">Adrahtas, p.&nbsp;181.</ref> Plante coached mainly by example, and after the three-week training camp, he returned home to Montreal. Plante also played an exhibition game with the Seals. Rumours swirled that Plante was planning a comeback.<ref name="OneEightOneII"/><ref name="OneFiveFive">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;155.</ref>

In June 1968, Plante was selected in an [[1968 NHL Intra-League Draft|intraleague draft]] by the [[St. Louis Blues]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl1968i.html|title=1968 NHL Intraleague Draft|publisher=hockeydb.com|access-date=November 2, 2019}}</ref> and signed for $35,000 for the [[1968–69 NHL season|1968–69 season]].<ref name="Hunter120">Hunter, D., p.&nbsp;120.</ref> In his first season with the Blues, Plante split the goaltending duties with [[Glenn Hall]]. He won the Vezina Trophy that season for the seventh time, surpassing [[Bill Durnan]]'s record.<ref name = "Hunter121"/> While playing for the Blues in the 1969–70 playoffs against the Boston Bruins, a shot fired by [[Fred Stanfield]] and redirected by [[Phil Esposito]] hit Plante in the forehead, knocking him out and breaking his fibreglass mask. The first thing Plante said after he regained consciousness at the hospital was that the mask saved his life.<ref>Adrahtas, p.&nbsp;206.</ref> That game proved to be his last for the Blues, and he was traded in the summer of 1970 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.<ref>Adrahtas, p.&nbsp;212.</ref> He led the NHL with the lowest [[goals against average]] (GAA) during his first season with the Maple Leafs. That season, he also tied a Leafs franchise record, winning 9 straight games.<ref>{{cite news |title=Campbell ties franchise record as Maple Leafs down Flames |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/campbell-ties-franchise-record-maple-leafs-flames/ |access-date=April 6, 2021 |work=Sportsnet |agency=Canadian Press |date=April 6, 2021}}</ref> At season's end, he was named to the NHL's second All-Star team, his seventh such honour. Late in the 1972–73 season, Plante was traded to the [[Boston Bruins]].<ref>Plante, R., p. 175</ref> While he had two shutouts in eight regular season games, Plante struggled in the playoffs, and after conceding 10&nbsp;goals in two&nbsp;games, he was replaced as the [[Starting lineup|starter]].<ref>Plante, R., p. 176</ref>

Plante accepted a $1&nbsp;million, 10-year contract to become coach and general manager of the [[Quebec Nordiques]] of the [[World Hockey Association]] in 1973.<ref name="TwoThirteen">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;213.</ref> He was highly dissatisfied with his and the team's performance and resigned at the end of the 1973–74 season.<ref name="OneEightFive">Plante, R., p.&nbsp;185.</ref> Coming out of retirement once more, Plante played 31 games for the [[Edmonton Oilers]] of the WHA in the 1974–75 season.<ref name="Hunter121"/> Plante retired during the Oilers' training camp in 1975–76 after receiving news that his youngest son had died.<ref name="Hunter121"/>