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Fifty years after Plante's breakthrough, goalie mask is about sanity, not toughness
By Craig Custance
October 30, 2009
For today's goalies, it's not a matter of toughness. It's a matter of sanity. November 1 marks the 50th anniversary of the night when Montreal legend Jacques Plante refused to re-enter a game until he was allowed to wear a protective mask.
Half a century later, NHL goalies wouldn't even consider going near a sheet of ice without a mask. Playing without one is unfathomable.
"I can't imagine," Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo told Sporting News. "That's pretty crazy. Obviously the shots were not what they are today, but still. There was a lot of stuff going on around the crease. I don't know how those guys did it."
Said Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere: "It's actually crazy. I'm sure the shots weren't the same, the sticks weren't the same, but still crazy. Stupid crazy."
Before Plante, several other players tried rudimentary forms of the mask. Most notably, Clint Benedict in 1930 wore a mask for five games. But it was generally frowned upon and Plante's decision set the tone for goaltenders from then on.
The craziness ended on Nov. 1, 1959. The Montreal Canadiens were playing the New York Rangers, when an Andy Bathgate shot hit Plante in the face in the first period. Plante had his face stitched up and when he returned to the game, this time he was masked.
It was finally a moment of sanity even though Plante's coach Toe Blake was dead set against the idea. Charlie Hodge was Plante's backup in Montreal. When they made a goalie mask for Plante, the second one went to Hodge.
During a phone conversation with Sporting News, the 76-year-old former Montreal goalie said Blake's anti-mask stance was the only reason Montreal goalies didn't wear one earlier.
"He was from the old-school. Let's face it," said Hodge, who won the Vezina Trophy in 1964. "Jacques put it on and Blake screamed a lot about it but Jacques put it on anyway. That was where that was at."
Hodge's reaction to the introduction to the mask in games?
"I didn't mind it. I didn't mind it at all," he said. "It as a case where I was a slow learner. (Without a mask) I nearly lost an eye, had a broken nose, broken cheek bone and broken jaw."
The new masks didn't solve everything. Hodge remembers taking a shot off the mask that took a chunk out of his mask, and got his head pretty good too. The solution by the Montreal trainer was to tighten the straps on Hodge's mask so his head wouldn't swell up.
"Things were a little different then," he said.
A little.
By the time Hall of Famer Tony Esposito made his NHL debut during the 1968-69 season, goalie masks were the norm in the NHL. But the Blackhawks legend didn't wear one regularly until he was 18 years old, which led to a frequent battle with his mother, who wasn't crazy about Esposito manning a goal without head protection.
It didn't help that he'd often sprint home after playing hockey at the rink by his school, with snow pressed against his head to help slow the bleeding caused by a puck to the head.
He was more than happy to wear a mask in the NHL, but life without one wasn't going to stop him from being a goalie.
"If they didn't have masks, I would have played anyway," said Esposito, who still has his first goalie mask in his home office in Florida. "That's how my mentality was. I was used to it, a few cuts here and there didn't seem to bother me."
The first generation of hockey masks were nothing like the complete protection today's masks offer. They were protection against something catastrophic, but a puck off the mask still did damage.
Esposito described the feeling as a suckerpunch.
It was typical to get serious cuts anywhere bone pressed against the mask, like above the eyebrows. But it was a smooth cut, and that was better than the alternative.
"If you had a good surgeon, he could sew you up and you didn't notice anything," Esposito said.
It was an improvement and the goalies of that era appreciated it.
"It took a special person in Plante," Hodge said. "I don't know how long it would have taken to bring the mask in had it not been for him."
First the mask, then the design
Timeline of the Goalie Mask
February 20, 1930: Clint Benedict of the Montreal Maroons wears a flat, leather mask used by boxers in sparring. He used the contraption for five games, but said it obscured his vision. Later he tried a wire cage-style protector, but said it distracted him.
November 1, 1959: Jacques Plante is generally considered to be the first goalie to wear a modern style, fiberglass mask in an NHL game.
1968-69 Season: Boston Bruins goaltender Gerry Cheevers became the first goaltender to decorate his mask. Cheevers was struck in the mask during practice and had trainer John Forristall draw stitches on his mask with a black marker.
October 31, 1972: Doug Favell of the Philadelphia Flyers had his mask painted orange, resembling a pumpkin for a Halloween game against Los Angeles.
April 7, 1974: Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Andy Brown was the last goaltender to appear without a mask, playing with his face unprotected in a 6-3 loss to Atlanta.
1976-77 Season: Glenn "Chico" Resch of the New York Islanders is credited as the first goaltender to have an artistic design cover his full mask. Resch's design had the Islanders' logo at the top and it now resides in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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Temperature check on coaching hot seat: Who's in trouble?
By Greg Wyshynski
October 30, 2009
The end of October gives us a decent enough sample to at least catch a whiff of the coaches that could be in danger. No one has been given the Bob Hartley or Barry Melrose swift kick to the curb just yet, but there are certainly a few names on the watch list for a pink slip.
Over on FanHouse, Schultz has a list of five coaches he feels are in the guillotine: Peter DeBoer, Florida Panthers; John Stevens, Philadelphia Flyers; Randy Carlyle, Anaheim Ducks; Ron Wilson, Toronto Maple Leafs; and Rick Tocchet, Tampa Bay Lightning, whom Schultz believes will be the first coach axed.
This preliminary list has some merit, although Schultz doesn't even sound convinced the majority of them are under fire. ("Half the reason Carlyle is on this list is because there really aren't a lot of other people to put here.") The Panthers and Ducks are off to rather putrid starts, but DeBoer and Carlyle may have built up enough good will from last season's exploits to ride it out.
Ron Wilson ... well, Brian Burke already promised "numerous, multiple player changes before the coaching staff would even be looked at, let alone considered." It all depends on what the Leafs look like after the process plays out and, presumably, if their struggles continue when Phil Kessel(notes) finally suits up.
That leaves two coaches listed in "The Pink Slip Index": One we completely agree with, and one with whom we really, really don't.
Whenever the coaching hot seat is mentioned in casual conversations with NHL insiders, Stevens's name comes up. The Flyers have had a middling start (11 points in 10 games), and having seen them a few times there's something a little off about them, especially up front.
But the reason Stevens is always mentioned, we think, is because the 2009-10 Philadelphia Flyers could easily become the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins: Chug along as an average, underwhelming team until the coach is replaced by one with a completely different personality and approach; and then kick a very talented roster into high gear for the postseason.
Michel Therrien and Dan Bylsma were divergent personalities. If Stevens were to be replaced, it would actually mirror the Penguins' move, with a yielding players' coach getting flipped for (one assumes) some sort of Mike Keenan type to whip these guys into shape.
So until the Flyers turn it around, Stevens is a legit name on this list. Tocchet's might be too, but not at No. 1. No way, no how. To paraphrase Natalie Portman on "Top Chef" this week: Who is Schultz's dealer and is he looking to take on any new business?
While his last point is taken, it wasn't Barry Melrose that gave Rick Tocchet a two-year extension after the interim tag was lifted -- it was the current management. Their 3-3-3 start isn't bad at all; the Panthers and Thrashers wish they were that "bad."
(Ed. Note: Ben Wright from the Thrashers checked in on Twitter: "ATL is 4-4-1. Same point total after 9 games and with a better win total.")
Plus, this is simply a better roster than last season's disjointed mess: Better goaltending, better blue line, deeper scoring and Steven Stamkos's(notes) NHL testicles have finally descended. Good times.
If nothing else, Tocchet's already removed himself from the hot seat, at least in the eyes of local media in Tampa.
Again, this isn't to say Tocchet isn't a name to watch as far as coaches' fate. It's Tampa Bay: anything goes. Oren Koules might fire him in a fit of rage because "Paranormal Activity" killed the "Saw" franchise; who knows?
But odds are that Tocchet stays. If we, you know, had to wager.
But he shouldn't be No. 1 on the list by any current measure. In fact, Schultz is right: Outside of Ron Wilson and potentially Stevens, it's difficult to see another coach that could be canned in the coming months. Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks? Not with those injuries. Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators? The time could be nearing, but they're a pesky team. Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders? What, and hurt the team's lottery chances?
The Carolina Hurricanes are a complete mess, but Paul Maurice in the first year of a three-year deal. The only scenario that could play out? Maurice moves upstairs and Ron Francis takes the bench to shake things up.
What do you think? Any coaches in serious trouble this season?
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NHLPA loses Penny, refutes report it's suspended operations
By Greg Wyshynski
October 30, 2009
Around 1 p.m. EST this afternoon, the following email blast was sent out from FAN 590 in Toronto:
According to Hockeycentral at Noon's Nick Kypreos, The NHLPA has shut down its operations, including the suspension of responsibilities for interim Executive Director, Ian Penny.
Uh, wow. For clarification's sake, what Kypreos actually said on the air:
"I think the last committee that they put together ... they've essentially suspended all operations, including the interim executive director. Ian Penny's been shut down. They shut down the NHLPA."
(Q. So, if you went to the NHLPA today, the door's closed?)
"I don't think it would be closed, but they're not in a position to function on a daily basis. The ombudsman [Buzz Hargrove] has been suspended. The regional guys that represent their divisions have all been shut down as well. I hope this thing comes to a head. You'll probably hear from Ian Penny in some way and form, possibly resigning. ... Effectively, the last few days, it's been clear that he's been constructively dismissed."
Curious phrase, that last one. It was repeated in the NHLPA press release today that refuted Kypreos's claim that the players' association had suspended operations, but confirmed that interim boss Ian Penny is done with the NHLPA.
From the NHLPA:
"Interim Executive Director Ian Penny informed the NHLPA staff and the NHLPA Executive Board earlier today that it is his position he has been constructively dismissed as Interim Executive Director of the NHLPA and can no longer work in the present circumstances. Effective today, Ian Penny is no longer employed by the NHLPA.
"There have been inaccurate media reports circulating today that the NHLPA has suspended operations. The NHLPA staff continues to work very hard on behalf of the players in all areas of the Association's business and will continue to do so going forward.
"The NHLPA will make no further comment today on this internal matter."
TSN adds some additional background, reporting that "Steve Larmer, Dan O'Neill and Ron Lloyd of the NHLPA's Advisory Board resigned Thursday night and legal counsel Paul Cavalluzzo resigned on Friday morning." From TSN:
Last week, the NHLPA executive board voted 25-5 in favour of forming a committee to review union operations. NHL veterans Rob Blake(notes), Nicklas Lidstrom(notes) and Mark Recchi(notes) along with former Detroit Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios(notes) were named to the committee. Earlier this week, the committee sent out an e-mail to its members outlining their strategic plan.
''We have come through a period of considerable turmoil and dysfunction within the NHLPA,'' stated the e-mail obtained by TSN. ''It is our goal that everything we do now be focused on strengthening and unifying the Association as we move forward to ensure we are in a strong position to enter collective bargaining and conduct our day to day business with the NHL. This review will be conducted independently of those who have worked at the NHLPA during this embarrassing time for the Association.''
In addition to investigating why former executive director Paul Kelly was let go in August, the new four-man group is expected to look into how Penny was able to negotiate a five-year, $3.5 million contract in June.
TSN reports that Penny sent out an email last week saying he had been -- wait for it -- "constructively dismissed" by the NHLPA; it also wrote that, essentially, the association is in a holding pattern while the committee does its internal affairs work.
Well this is a mess. But it needed to be. If this player committee was serious about changing the course of the association, a Great Purge was a good starting point. The real question is whether the players can remove heads from posteriors fast enough to organize before the next CBA negotiation -- a negotiation that a few agents told us during the summer would be a bloody massacre by the well-prepared NHL against the chaotic NHLPA.
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Kelly could return as NHLPA's executive director
By Ken Campbell
October 30, 2009
Right now, it's nothing more than talk and speculation. But there is a real sense out there that former NHL Players' Association executive director Paul Kelly has never been closer to getting his job back than he is right now.
And if that were to happen, it would rectify one of the biggest blunders and injustices in the history of the association – and that's saying something.
This much we know: the possibility of coming back to head up the NHLPA has been informally discussed between Kelly and some of the members of the association. We also know that Kelly, along with former director of player affairs Glenn Healy and hockey-related revenue consultant Bob Lindquist, would seriously consider coming back to the association under the right circumstances.
One of those circumstances was created Friday when interim executive director Ian Penny maintained he was "constructively dismissed" by the association, which in layman's terms means he had so many powers stripped from him that he saw no choice but to resign. It's all semantics really and comes down to the compensation package he'll receive from an organization that is paying almost as many people not to work for it as it is for those to work for it.
Earlier this week, Penny sent a letter to the four-player board investigating the internal workings of the association – Rob Blake, Chris Chelios, Mark Recchi and Nicklas Lidstrom – that he felt he had been constructively dismissed already by the association. When nothing changed, Penny made it official Friday.
Another thing we know is that Penny's recently negotiated and contentious five-year contract extension worth about $3.5 million was not all guaranteed, so he certainly will not be receiving that amount. Penny is scheduled to make $650,000 this season with the extension kicking in next year and while there is a compensation component to the deal, it's believed to not be much more than is mandated by labor law.
Close observers of the NHLPA contend it will only be a matter of time before interim ombudsman Buzz Hargrove and advisory board member Ron Pink, who were instrumental in leading the charge to oust Kelly, will either resign or be relieved of their duties. It's also believed the six divisional representatives, retired players Rob Zamuner (Northeast Division), Joe Reekie (Southeast), Jim McKenzie (Central), Dave Scatchard (Pacific), Steve Webb (Atlantic) and Darby Hendrickson (Northwest), who were apparently hand-picked by former ombudsman Eric Lindros and were reportedly key liaisons between the ombudsman and the players during the move to oust Kelly, could be on their way out as well.
Should that happen, the way could be cleared for Kelly to return to the NHLPA because most of those who were responsible for his demise would be gone. But it would take more than just that to get Kelly back. The association would have to revamp its constitution to avoid the possibility of a palace coup such as this one from ever happening again.
To be sure, the association is in more disarray than ever now. Much of the advisory board has resigned and it is essentially without a leader, although it has been rumored that Mike Ouellet, the association's chief of business affairs, could be tabbed as interim executive director until a permanent replacement is found.
The executive committee, however, will continue to have final say over any business and personnel matters. It is not expected to have another conference call until Nov. 9, but that could be moved up in light of the fact there needs to be someone in charge and accountable, at least on an interim basis.
None of Lidstrom, Chelios, Recchi or Blake is scheduled to play Friday night and are expected to deal with a number of matters in a conference call, including the temporary and permanent leadership of the NHLPA. But any move would have to be approved by the executive committee, which is made up of the 30 player representatives. In order to have an official vote, a minimum of 25 would have to participate and any motion requires a minimum of 20 votes.
Complicating matters is the fact that Saturday is the deadline for all teams to submit their new player reps. Most of the teams have done so already.
The return of Kelly is a possibility, for no other reason than he is familiar with the workings of the association and would be able to hit the ground running on the crucial task of rebuilding the organization.
We have to reiterate that this is not a done deal and may never be one, but the possibility of it is more tangible now than it has ever been.
Not to mention that it would be the right thing to do as the NHLPA looks to rise from the rubble it created for itself.
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