Joseph Jacques Omer "Jake the Snake" Plante

Photo by Harold Barkley, reprinted in "Hockey's Golden Era" by Mike Leonetti. Reprinted without permission.

BIOGRAPHY

BORN: Mont Carmel, Quebec, January 17, 1929.

DIED: Sierre, Switzerland, February 27, 1986.

HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 175 lbs

UNIFORM #: 1

CATCHES: Left

On being paid as a fifteen year old in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec: "I was playing goal for a factory team. We didn't get paid, so one day my father suggested that I ask the coach for some money. The coach agreed to give me 50 cents a game if I didn't tell any of the other players about it."

TRANSACTIONS:

• Traded by Canadiens (with Don Marshall and Phil Goyette) to New York Rangers for G Lorne Worsley, Dave Balon, Len Ronson and Leon Rochefort, June 4, 1963.
• Signed to training camp tryout by California Golden Seals, September 1967.
• After winning starting job with Seals, left team after it was found that his rights were still the property of the New York Rangers, September 1967.
• Claimed (from Rangers) by St. Louis Blues in National Hockey League Intra-League Draft, June 12, 1968.
• Sold by Blues to Toronto Maple Leafs for cash, May 18, 1970.
• Selected by Miami-Philadelphia in 1972 World Hockey Association General Player Draft, February 12, 1972.
• Traded by Toronto (with third-round choice (Doug Gibson) in 1973 amateur draft) to Boston Bruins for first-round choice (Ian Turnbull) in 1973 amateur draft and future considerations (G Ed Johnston), March 3, 1973.
• Selected by Edmonton Oilers in World Hockey Association Professional Player Draft, June 1973.
• Served as General Manager of Quebec Nordiques, 1973-74.

ACCOLADES:

• Winner, Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Trophy, 1953-54.
• Winner, Vezina Trophy, 1955-56.
• Selected to National Hockey League All-Star First Team, 1955-56.
• Played in National Hockey League All-Star Game, 1956.
• Winner, Vezina Trophy, 1956-57.
• Selected to National Hockey League All-Star Second Team, 1956-57.
• Played in National Hockey League All-Star Game, 1957.
• Winner, Vezina Trophy, 1957-58.
• Selected to National Hockey League All-Star Second Team, 1957-58.
• Played in National Hockey League All-Star Game, 1958.
• Winner, Vezina Trophy, 1958-59.
• Selected to National Hockey League All-Star First Team, 1958-59.
• Played in National Hockey League All-Star Game, 1959.
• Winner, Vezina Trophy, 1959-60.
• Selected to National Hockey League All-Star Second Team, 1959-60.
• Played in National Hockey League All-Star Game, 1960.
• Winner, Hart Memorial Trophy, 1961-62.
• Winner, Vezina Trophy, 1961-62.
• Selected to National Hockey League All-Star First Team, 1961-62.
• Played in National Hockey League All-Star Game, 1962.
• Shared (with Glenn Hall) Vezina Trophy, 1968-69.
• Played in National Hockey League All-Star Game, 1969.
• Played in National Hockey League All-Star Game, 1970.
• Selected to National Hockey League All-Star Second Team, 1970-71.
• Elected to Hockey Hall of Fame, 1978.
• Selected to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, May 1981.

INJURIES:

• Missed part of season with knee injury, 1960-61.
• Missed part of season with knee injury, 1964-65.
• Had torn cartilage removed from left knee, 1965.

PENALTY SHOTS:

RECORDS:

DID YOU KNOW?

• After being struck in the face by an Andy Bathgate backhander (and taking seven stitches), became the first goaltender to wear a mask regularly, November 1, 1959.
• When the Canadiens would visit Toronto, Plante would stay in a separate hotel from his teammates. He claimed that he was allergic to the air in the team's usual Toronto hotel.
• In 1981, Plante was asked what his most satisfying experience in hockey, and he said that it was an exhibition game against the Russian national team in 1965. In the first year of a temporary three-year retirement, Plante played brilliantly for the Montreal Junior Canadiens, leading the club to a 2-1 upset victory. "During the game I said to myself, 'What am I doing here? I could get slaughtered," Plante chuckled. "It was a game in which I had more pressure than any other game. It wasn't an ordinary game - it was a country against a country, and the Russians were the best team in the world at the time. After the game, (Russian coach Anatoli) Tarasov said, 'Jacques Plante is the best goaltender I've ever seen.'"
• At the time of his death, Plante was working for the St. Louis Blues as a goaltending instructor

SEASON RECORDS:

REGULAR SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   T    GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS
47-48 Quebec Citadelle QJHL       31   1840  18  11   1    87   2.84                    2
      Montreal Jr. Canadiens QJHL  2    120   0   0   2     5   2.50                    0
48-49 Quebec Citadelle QJHL       47   2860  35   8   4    95   1.99                    8
49-50 Montreal Royals QSHL        58   3480  27  22   9   180   3.10                    0
50-51 Montreal Royals QSHL        60   3670  28  29   3   201   3.29                    4
51-52 Montreal Royals QSHL        60   3560  30  24   6   201   3.39                    4   0   0     0
52-53 Montreal Royals QSHL        29   1760  20   8   1    61   2.08                    4   0   0     0
      Montreal Canadiens NHL       3    180   2   0   1     4   1.33                    0   0   0     0
      Buffalo Bisons AHL          33   2000  13  19   1   114   3.42                    2   0   0     0
53-54 Buffalo Bisons AHL          55   3370  32  17   6   148   2.64                    3   0   0     4
      Montreal Canadiens NHL      17   1020   7   5   5    27   1.59                    5   0   0     0
54-55 Montreal Canadiens NHL      52   3080  31  13   7   110   2.14                    5   0   0     2
55-56 Montreal Canadiens NHL      64   3840  42  12  10   119   1.86                    7   0   0    10
56-57 Montreal Canadiens NHL      61   3660  31  18  12   123   2.02                    9   0   0    16
57-58 Montreal Canadiens NHL      57   3386  34  14   8   119   2.11                    9   0   0    13
58-59 Montreal Canadiens NHL      67   4000  38  16  13   144   2.16                    9   0   1    11
59-60 Montreal Canadiens NHL      69   4140  40  17  12   175   2.54                    3   0   0     2
60-61 Montreal Royals EPHL         8    480   3   4   1    24   3.00                    0   0   0     0
      Montreal Canadiens NHL      40   2400  22  11   7   112   2.80                    2   0   0     2
61-62 Montreal Canadiens NHL      70   4200  42  14  14   166   2.37                    4   0   0    14
62-63 Montreal Canadiens NHL      56   3320  22  14  19   138   2.49                    5   0   1     2
63-64 New York Rangers NHL        65   3900  22  36   7   220   3.38                    3   0   1     6
64-65 New York Rangers NHL        33   1938  10  17   5   109   3.37                    2   0   1     6
      Baltimore Clippers AHL      17   1018   6   9   1    51   3.01                    1   0   0     0
68-69 St. Louis Blues NHL         37   2139  18  12   6    70   1.96                    5   0   0     2
69-70 St. Louis Blues NHL         32   1839  18   9   5    67   2.19                    5   0   2     0
70-71 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL     40   2329  24  11   4    73   1.88                    4   0   0     2
71-72 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL     34   1965  16  13   5    86   2.63                    2   0   0     2
72-73 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL     32   1717   8  14   6    87   3.04                    1   0   0     0
      Boston Bruins NHL            8    480   7   1   0    16   2.00                    2   0   2     2
74-75 Edmonton Oilers WHA         31   1592  15  14   1    88   3.32                    1   0   1     2
EIGHTEEN (18) NHL SEASONS        837  49533 434 247 146  1965   2.38                   82   0   8    92
ONE (1) WHA SEASON                31   1592  15  14   1    88   3.32                    1   0   1     2

POST-SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS
47-48 Quebec Citadelle QJHL        9    545   4   5   28   3.08                    2
48-49 Quebec Citadelle QJHL       13    790   7   6   43   3.27                    0
49-50 Montreal Royals QSHL         6    360           20   3.33                    0
50-51 Montreal Royals QSHL         7    420   2   5   26   3.71                    1
51-52 Montreal Royals QSHL         7    420   3   4   21   3.00                    1
52-53 Montreal Canadiens NHL       4    240   3   1    7   1.75                    1   0   0     0
53-54 Montreal Canadiens NHL       8    480   5   3   15   1.88                    2   0   0     0
54-55 Montreal Canadiens NHL      12    640   6   4   30   2.81                    0   0   0     0
55-56 Montreal Canadiens NHL      10    600   8   2   18   1.80                    2   0   0     2
56-57 Montreal Canadiens NHL      10    616   8   2   18   1.75                    1   0   0     4
57-58 Montreal Canadiens NHL      10    618   8   2   20   1.94                    1   0   0     2
58-59 Montreal Canadiens NHL      11    670   8   3   28   2.51                    0   0   0     2
59-60 Montreal Canadiens NHL       8    489   8   0   11   1.35                    3   0   0     0
60-61 Montreal Canadiens NHL       6    412   2   4   16   2.33                    0   0   0     2
61-62 Montreal Canadiens NHL       6    360   2   4   19   3.17                    0   0   0     0
62-63 Montreal Canadiens NHL       5    300   1   4   14   2.80                    0   0   0     0
64-65 Baltimore Clippers AHL       5    315   2   3   14   2.67                    1   0   0     2
68-69 St. Louis Blues NHL         10    589   8   2   14   1.43                    3   0   1     0
69-70 St. Louis Blues NHL          6    324   4   1    8   1.48                    1   0   0     2
70-71 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL      3    134   0   2    7   3.13                    0   0   0     0
71-72 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL      1     60   0   1    5   5.00                    0   0   0     0
72-73 Boston Bruins NHL            2    120   0   2   10   5.00                    0   0   0     0
SIXTEEN (16) NHL POSTSEASONS     112   6652  71  37  240   2.16                   14   0   1    12

GAME DIRECTORY: