When Jacques Plante decided to wear a mask so he’d still have his nose and teeth like other people, hockey’s movers and shakers at the time weren’t thrilled with the idea.
Coach Toe Blake grudgingly went along with it as long as Plante continued to play well, which Plante did, but others voiced strong opposition to this new development.
For instance, Muzz Patrick, then general manager of the New York Rangers, spoke up:
“Our game has as greater percentage of woman fans than any team sport I know. I’m talking about real fans – ones who give you the scoring averages and the All-Star lineups.