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Jacques Plante - The Masked Man

Jacques Plante was a phenomenal athlete and goaltender who played with imagination, enthusiasm and dedication. Often Plante is incorrectly referred to as the first goaltender to wear a mask in a NHL game. The wearing of a mask by a goaltender in a NHL game was first accomplished by Clint Benedict during the 1920s to protect a broken nose. What Plante can be credited with is the first goaltender to wear a mask on a permanent basis as Benedict quickly stopped wearing the mask once his nose healed.

Plante started wearing a fiberglass mask after missing 13 games due to sinusitis operation, he would originally wear the mask during practices only. Toe Blake, the then head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, was not fond of Plante's mask and objected to him wearing the mask. Blake felt that the mask would hamper Plante's game as it would cause visual problems and thus make Plante less effective.

In a game against the New York Rangers on November 1, 1959, Plante was struck in the face with the puck as a result of an Andy Bathgate shot. The shot opened up a substantial wound on Plante's face causing him to bleed profusely. Plante would leave the game to get stitched up and it is here where NHL history was to begin. Despite Toe Blake's anger and disapproval, Plante held firm with his stance of not returning to the ice without his mask. Plante would return to the game and lead his Canadiens to a 3-1 victory.

Plante would continue to fight Blake on the mask issue. It wasn't until Plante reeled off a 10 game undefeated streak that Blake would relent and allow Plante to continue playing with the mask uncontested. Plante would carry his team to an 18 game undefeated streak while wearing the mask. Plante would become the first goaltender to wear a mask permanently in the NHL and thus make history.

In addition to Plante's history making mask event, he would also be credited with other innovations that would change the way goaltenders played the position. Plante was the first goaltender to leave his crease and stop the puck behind the net for his defensemen. Plante was also the first goaltender to raise his arm to indicate an icing call to his defensemen. Plante also perfected a stand-up style of goaltending that emphasized positional play, cutting down the angles and staying square to the shooter.

Sidney Crosby - Love Him or Hate Him

There have been some that have been labelled the next one and until Crosby's arrival there is only one that has truly lived up to the hype and that was Mario Lemieux. The last player that received the same attention as that of Crosby was Lindros and although he has had a very good career, there are many that will say that Lindros did not live up to or fulfill his true potential. Just as with Lindros and Lemieux, many scouts throughout the NHL and the media have focused on Crosby for many years prior to his eventual qualification for the NHL Entry Draft. Much like his "the next superstar" predecessors, Crosby has been under the microscope since his emergence into the public eye as a pre-teenager, but I would say that his situation is more unique in that he has received more attention and coverage than his predecessor.


Those who follow hockey closely have known about Crosby for in-and-around seven years. Crosby has been in the media spotlight for many years and has been labeled as the next superstar and/or the next one since he was a pre-teenager. A lot of pressure and Sidney has handled it with gracefulness and professionalism, similar to that of The Great One, Wayne Gretzky. Prior to Crosby's first game in the NHL he was the center-piece for the most innovative NHL Entry Draft as a result of the previous canceled season due to a lock-out. With the new NHL came the new superstar, a superstar that would lead the NHL into a new direction. Crosby instantly became the poster boy for the NHL throughout the world and in particular North America. The NHL needed and needs Crosby more than they have ever needed another superstar as the NHL is still struggling in the United States. Has Crosby delivered thus far, I would say yes.

I often question why there are so many that dislike and even hate Crosby. Many will say it is because he is a whiner. Gretzky and Lemieux, more so Gretzky, were also considered whiners early in their careers and you will have a difficult time finding many hockey fans who dislike these two legends of the game now. Many will not admit to a hint of animosity towards Crosby due to jealousy or the fact that he is not on the team that they cheer for. I am an Oilers' fan, I am also a fan of great hockey and great hockey players like Brodeur, Heatley, Crosby etc. etc. Many of those who dislike Crosby will eventually grow out of it and see that he is great for the game and the NHL. For those who will never like Crosby, remember two things:

1.) He is a 19 year old kid with the weight of an entire league on his shoulders

2.) Dislike the man, but appreciate and respect the skill.

The WHA

The World Hockey Association began play in the fall of 1972, it marked the first time that the NHL had it’s dominance challenged since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926. The WHA gave current NHL players an opportunity to move to a new league, hold-out for better contracts with their current NHL clubs and enabled NHL veterans to play a few more seasons.

Bernie Parent was the NHL player to sign with a WHA club. The new league garnered plenty of notice and recognition when Bobby Hull left the NHL and signed with the WHA’s Winnipeg Jets. Gerry Cheevers, Derek Sanderson, Ted Green and J.C. Tremblay were among other NHL players to make the switch from the NHL to the WHA.

During it’s existence, more NHL stars, like Frank Mahovlich, Dave Keon, Jacques Plante and Paul Henderson would all play in the WHA. The leagues biggest coup came when they convinced Gordie Howe to come out of retirement and play with his sons Mark and Marty on the New England Whalers.

In addition to former NHL stars who prolonged their careers in the WHA, several future NHLers debuted in the WHA, including Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Mike Gartner. The WHA introduced to North America a quicker game than that of the NHL and opened up the North American hockey market to the talents of Europe. After seven seasons and numerous failed franchises, the WHA ceased operation after the 1977/78 campaign. Four former WHA clubs - Edmonton, New England (Hartford), Quebec and Winnipeg were admitted into the NHL for the 1979/80 season.

The Season that saw the Smythe Division Dominate

The Smythe Division made it's debut in the 1974/75 season and included teams from Chicago, Vancouver, St.Louis, Minnesota and Kansas City. The division would remain with these five teams for two seasons, up until when the Kansas City Scouts ceased operating in Kansas City, moved to Colorado and Colorado was a now a member of the Smythe Division for the 1976/77 season. Prior to the 1978/79 season, the Minnesota North Stars moved to the Adams Division as the Cleveland Barons ceased operations and merged with the Minnesota North Stars. The division would now have four teams and would remain this way for only one season as the NHL expanded to 21 teams for the 1979/80 season and the new Division would include Edmonton, Chicago, St. Louis, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Colorado. The The Smythe Division made it's debut at the beginning of the 1974/75 season and consisted of Vancouver, St.Louis, Chicago, Minnesota and Kansas City. Kansas City would only play two seasons in the Smythe Division, the team moved to Denver for the 1976/77 season and were know as the Colorado Rockies. Colorado would take Kansas City's place within the Smythe Division. The Smythe Division would go through another change as the Atlanta Flames would move to Calgary and become the Calgary Flames for the 1981/82 season. The Smythe Division would now include Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Colorado. Colorado would cease operating in Denver and move it's operation to New Jersey for the 1982/83 season and this move would see the Winnipeg Jets move from the Norris Division to the Smythe Division. The Division would not change for 9 seasons, it wasn't until 1991/92 when the San Jose Sharks joined the league and the Smythe Division. The Smythe Division would be a six-team division for two seasons, at which point the NHL abolished the divisional names and went with geographical names for it's divisions.


During the Smythe Division's 19 season's there were many lows. During the '70s it was not very often that teams in the Smythe Division finished above .500, in fact it only occurred on 8 occasions out of a possible 30. Also during the '70s there were 19 occasions when teams finished with 70 points or less and of those 19 occasions, 13 of them saw teams achieve 60 points or less. As the Smythe Division entered the '80s, the future looked a little brighter. The 1980/81 season would be the first time that a team from the Smythe Division achieved 100 points in a season, the previous high was 87, and this achievement was realized by the St. Louis Blues. Although this was quite an accomplishment by a team within the Smythe Division, it was still not enough as the remaining five teams finished below .500 with Winnipeg being the worst of the bunch with a 32 point season. 1981/82 was a breakout year for the Edmonton Oilers as they finished with 111 points, but still the Smythe Division supporting cast would not help the charge towards respectability as the remaining four teams finished below .500. For the following two seasons the Edmonton Oilers continued to excel while the other four teams remained stagnant and it was not until the 1983/84 season that another team in this post-'80s Smythe Division would reach and even climb over the .500 plateau and this achievement belonged to the Calgary Flames. In addition to Calgary achieving a .500 plus record it would be the first time that a Smythe Division team would lead the entire league in points and capture the Stanley Cup, it was truly a great season for Edmonton. The best was yet to come for this division.

The 1984/85 season saw, for the first and only time, the Smythe Division dominate the NHL. Edmonton would finish the season with 109 points, the second highest point total in the NHL and capture their second Stanley Cup. The Winnipeg Jets accumulated 96 points and this was good enough for 4th place in the NHL. The Calgary Flames finished the season with 94 points and this was good enough for 5th place in the NHL. In addition, the Los Angeles Kings had a good season with 82 points and this was good enough for 13th place in the NHL. The Smythe Division also produced the top 5 players with regards to points. Gretzky lead the way with 208 points, Kurri with 138 points, Hawerchuk with 130 points, Dionne with 126 points and Coffey with 121 points. During the 1984/85 season the Smythe Division would place eight players in the top 20 for NHL scoring and also had a few of that season's best goaltenders in Fuhr, Moog, Lemelin and Hayward. The Smythe Division would capture individual trophies such as the Hart, Art Ross, Norris, Lady Byng, Conn Smythe, Emery Edge and would also be runner up for individual trophies a total of four times. The Smythe Division from this point on would remain a very strong and respected division, but this division would never come close to what it achieved during the 1984/85 season.

The Race to 50 Goals.

The NHL had not seen a 50-goal scorer since Maurice Richard recorded 50 goals in 50 games in 1944/45. Gordie Howe and Jean Beliveau came close during the 1950s, but, as the 10960/61 season progressed, two new snipers were taking aim at the 50 goal plateau. Frank Mahovlich appeared to have the beats chance to reach 50 goals. Mahovlich had 36 goals in 41 games by early January. Bernie Geoffrion was also in contention to score 50 goals, but injuries temporarily sidelined him at by the time that February rolled around he had 28 goals while Mahovlich had 41 goals. As Geoffrion picked up the pace, it was now Mahovlich’s turn to be stricken with injuries. By the beginning of March and thanks to 16 goals in a 10 game span, Geoffrion had 46 goals and was only one goal behind Mahovlich. Within a game of hitting 46 goals, Geoffrion would score 2 goals and pass Mahovlich for the NHL lead in goal scoring. Geoffrion would score his 50th goal of the 1960/61 season with two games remaining in a 70 game schedule and would become the first 50 goal scorer since Maurice Richard. Geoffrion would only tie Richard’s 50 goal mark, while Mahovlich would end up 2 goals short of 50.

It has often been claimed than Bernie Geoffrion invented and perfected the slapshot and it was this claim and his powerful shot that landed him the nickname Boom Boom. Geoffrion would go onto play 16 seasons from 1950 to 1968 and during that time he would drink from Lord Stanley's mug on five occasions. Geoffrion would retire with 883 games played, 393 goals, 822 points and all of this lead to a Hall of Fame induction in 1972. Sadly the NHL community would lose one of it's legends on March 11/2006 as Geoffrion lost his six-month battle with stomach cancer.