JACQUES PLANTE

My hero is Jacques Plante. He was born February 17, 1929 in Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada. I chose him because he was the first one to wear a mask in hockey, which inspired many people to wear them. He is athletic, brave, courageous and confident.

Jacques Plante wore the mask from 1959 to 1960. It made a difference when I see how many goalies get hit in the mask. It helped for goalies because it protected them. They still use it till this day. Plante is considered a hero because it may have saved many lives and it is safer to play goalie.

Jacques Plante inspired me and the world by wearing the mask. If he did not, many players would have died or gotten seriously hurt. He started wearing it when he broke his nose. He won the Vezina Trophy 6 times. He was selected to go to the All-Star game 16 times! He retired in 1975 after the death of his youngest child.

Jacques Plante was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 1978. Plante was one of the first goaltenders to skate behind the net to stop the puck. He also was one of the first to raise his arm on an icing call to let his defensemen know what was happening. He perfected a stand-up, positional style, cutting down the angles; he became one of the first goaltenders to write a how-to book about the position. He was a pioneer of stick handling the puck.

Plante was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. He died in a Geneva hospital in February 1986 and was buried in Sierre, Switzerland. When his coffin was carried from the church following the funeral mass, it passed under an arch of hockey sticks held high by a team of young hockey Players from Quebec, visiting Switzerland for a tournament. Jacques Plante inspired me and the world by wearing the mask. If he did not begin wearing it many players would have died or gotten seriously hurt

1. "Jacques Plante." wikipedia.org 10/19/10 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.Jacques_Plante> 10/19/10 9 October 2010 at 22:17 Refrences database

2. "Jacques Plante." Notable Sports Figures. Ed. Dana R. Barnes. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 30 Sept. 2010. 3. "Jacques Plante." wikipedia.org 9 October 2010 at 22:17. 10/21/10 9 October 2010 at 22:17. Reference database

4.http://planetzman.com/ wp-content/uploads/2009/1 /Jacques-Plante-Mask1.jpg

5. http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/57865/23-8plantebigpose_from_card.jpg

6 http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/70791/Plante_save_against_Bruins.jpg