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All About Jacques Plante
Joseph Jacques Omer Plante (; January 17, 1929 � February 27, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender
During a career lasting from 1947�1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey
He played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1953 to 1963; during his tenure, the team won the Stanley Cup six times, including five consecutive wins.
Plante retired in 1965 but was persuaded to return to the National Hockey League to play for the expansion St
Louis Blues in 1968
He was later traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1970 and to the Boston Bruins in 1973
He joined the World Hockey Association as coach and general manager for the Quebec Nordiques in 1973�74
He then played goal for the Edmonton Oilers in 1974�75, ending his professional career with that team.
Plante was the first NHL goaltender to wear a goaltender mask in regulation play on a regular basis
He developed and tested many versions of the mask (including the forerunner of today's mask/helmet combination) with the assistance of other experts
Plante was the first NHL goaltender to regularly play the puck outside his crease in support of his team's defencemen, and he often instructed his teammates from behind the play
Plante was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978, was chosen as the goaltender of the Canadiens' "dream team" in 1985, and was inducted into the Quebec Sports Pantheon in 1994
The Montreal Canadiens retired Plante's jersey, #1, the following year.