kenneth william clay was the first nhl goalie to wear a mask.
who was the first nhl goalie to wear a mask?
kenneth william clay
bullet::::- jacques plante of the montreal canadiens became the first nhl goalie in modern times to wear a face mask, donning it after a shot from andy bathgate (new york rangers) struck him in the face. the canadiens won 3–1. soon, all goalies were wearing masks.





















































section::::november 2, 1959 (monday).





















































bullet::::- charles van doren, famous for being the all-time winner on the tv game show "twenty one", admitted in a hearing in congress that he had been supplied the answers in advance.
november 1959
the use of the goalie mask was plante's most enduring contribution to the game, however, occurred as a result of an incident on november 1, 1959. he was hit in the face by a shot from new york rangers player andy bathgate, needing to go to the dressing room for stitches. when he returned, he was wearing the crude home-made goalie mask that he'd been using in practices. his coach, toe blake, was livid, but he had no other goalie to call upon, and plante refused to return to the goal unless he kept the mask. blake agreed on the condition that plante discard the mask when the cut healed. only camille henry beat him in that game, which the canadiens won 3–1. in the ensuing days plante refused to discard the mask, and as the canadiens continued to win, blake became less obstinate. the unbeaten streak stretched to 18 games. plante didn't wear the mask, at blake's request, against detroit on march 8, 1960. the canadiens lost 3–0, and the mask returned for good the next night. plante subsequently designed his own mask and masks for other goalies. although plante was "not" the first nhl goalie known to wear a facemask (montreal maroons goaltender clint benedict had done so thirty years before), plante introduced the mask as everyday equipment, which continues to this day.
1959–60 montreal canadiens season