Goaltender mask

A goaltender mask, commonly referred to as a goalie mask, is a mask worn by goaltenders in a variety of sports to protect the head and face from injury from the ball or puck, as they constantly face incoming shots on goal. Some sports requiring their use include ice hockey, lacrosse, inline hockey, field hockey, rink hockey, ringette, bandy, rinkball, broomball, and floorball. This article deals chiefly with the goal masks used in ice hockey.

In ice hockey it is sometimes simply referred to as a hockey mask. In some cases the facemask must meet safety specifications designed for use in a specific sport such as ringette. Some recent changes have also occurred in bandy though not without controversy. This article deals chiefly with masks designed for ice hockey goaltenders.

Jacques Plante was the first ice hockey goaltender to create and use a practical mask in 1959. Plante's mask was a piece of fiberglass that was contoured to his face. This mask later evolved into a helmet-cage combination, and single piece full fiberglass mask. Today, the full fiberglass mask with the birdcage facial protector (known as a "combo mask") is the more popular option, because it is safer and offers better visibility.

Since the invention of the fiberglass ice hockey mask, professional goaltenders no longer play without a mask, considering it is now a mandatory piece of equipment. The last goaltender to play without a mask was Andy Brown, who played his last NHL game in 1974. He later moved to the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association and played without a mask until his retirement in 1977.

The first recorded case of an ice hockey goaltender using a mask was in February 1927 where a metal fencing mask was donned by Queen's University netminder Elizabeth Graham, mainly to protect her teeth.

In 1930, the first crude leather model of the mask (actually an American football "nose-guard") was worn by Clint Benedict to protect his broken nose. After recovering from the injury, he abandoned the mask, never wearing one again in his career.

At the 1936 Winter Olympics, Japanese ice hockey goaltender Teiji Honma wore a crude mask, similar to the one worn by baseball catchers. The mask was made of leather, and had a wire cage that protected the face, as well as Honma's large circular glasses.

It was not until 1959 that a goaltender wore a mask full-time. On November 1, 1959, in the first period of a game between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL) at Madison Square Garden, Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante was struck in the face by a shot from Andy Bathgate. Plante had previously worn his mask in practice, but head coach Toe Blake refused to allow him to wear it in a game, fearing it would inhibit his vision. After being stitched up, Plante gave Blake an ultimatum, refusing to go back out onto the ice without the mask, to which Blake obliged, not wanting to forfeit the game, since NHL teams did not have back-up goaltenders at the time. Montreal won the game 3–1 and continued on an 18-game unbeaten streak, which went through November.