Dates - part 2 - NHL Anniversary

November 1st is the 50 year Anniversary of Jacque Plante donning the first goalie mask. While we can all agree that keepers are flaky, this seems like a good idea.

While Plante's initial mask was a crude effort, they have become part of hockey folklore. The most famous is probably that of Bruins goalie Gerry Cheevers from the 1970s. He used a marker to indicate where he would have needed stitches had he not been wearing the mask. In the modern NHL, the masks are more like helmets and are decorated with impressive artwork. One of the more amusing is that of AVS keeper Peter Budaj who has a ripped Ned Flanders - from The Simpsons - holding a Slovakian flag. The NHL Network has a show on the development of the mask this weekend.