| Born: | January 17, 1929 | Draft: | Undrafted |
| Hometown: | Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, Quebec | Position: | G |
| Known For: | Goalie Mask Pioneer | Catches: | Left |
| National Team: | N/A |
Joseph Jacques Omer Plante (January 17, 1929 – February 27, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career lasting from 1947 to 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. In 2017 Plante was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in history.
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 defensemen, 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. Plante ranks seventh among NHL goalies for all-time career wins with 437.
Jacques Plante Statistics
Trade Tracker
| Date | Traded From | Traded With | Traded To | Traded For |
| June 4, 1963 |  | Phil Goyette Don Marshall |  | Dave Balon Leon Rochefort Len Ronson Gump Worsley |
| May 18, 1970 |  | – |  | Cash Considerations |
| May 3, 1973 | | Third-Round Pick (Doug Gibson) |  | First-Round Pick (Ian Turnbull) Eddie Johnston |
Deeper Dive
- Jacques Plante: The Man Behind the Fiberglass Mask
- 5 Best Goaltenders in NHL History
- NHL History: The Goalie Mask Debuts
- Top 5 NHL Goaltenders of the 1950s
- Top 5 NHL Goaltenders of the 1960s
- Best Goalies: Montreal Canadiens
- 10 Coolest Old School NHL Goalie Masks
Achievements
- Vezina Trophy — 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1969
- Hart Memorial Trophy — 1962
- NHL All-Star Game — 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1969, 1970
- NHL First Team All-Star — 1956, 1959, 1962
- NHL Second Team All-Star — 1957, 1958, 1960, 1971
- Stanley Cup Champion — 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960
- Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame — 1978
- Inducted into Canada Sports Hall of Fame — 1981
- Inducted into Quebec Sports Pantheon — 1994
- No. 1 Jersey Retired by Canadiens — 1995
- Inducted into World Hockey Association Hall of Fame — 2010
