Jacques Plante is theFirst NHL goalie to wear a mask. Jacques Plante wore a custom-made fiberglass mask during a regular-season game on 1st November 1959.
The goaltender suffered a nose and lip cut on a first-period shot in a game during Andy Bathgate of the New York Rangers in 1959. He required 21 stitches after a cheekbone fracture. It resulted in a skin-tight plaster mold that turned into a mask.
It was his 7th NHL season, where he played for The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club. During the match, the Canadiens won by 3-1 and then he continued to wear the mask as his good luck charm.
Plante played 18 seasons of NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, the St. Louis Blues, the Rangers, the Boston Bruins, and the Toronto Maple Leafs before retiring in 1974.
The Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel native was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history and was inducted into the National Hockey League Hall of Fame in 1978. The goaltender passed away in 1986 at 57 from stomach cancer.
In 1927, Elizabeth Graham donned a fencing mask for Queen's University to guard her teeth. Then in 1930, Montreal Maroon's Clint Benedict wore it for a few matches to protect his face.
Who Was The First NHL Goalie To Score A Goal?
The first goalie to score a goal in NHL was Ron Hextall. The former Philadelphia Flyers athlete made a goal with 1:12 left in a 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins on 8 December 1987.
The match was held at the Spectrum in Philadelphia which resulted in a win for Philadelphia Flyers with a 5-2 win.
Ron slid the puck at Boston's blue line and landed straight into the net. Their goaltender Reggie Lemelin was distracted by an extra-attacker.
Ron became the first NHL goalie to score a goal in a Stanley Cup Playoff on 17 April 1987. He made a goal with 1:02 left against the Washington Capitals.
After gathering it from behind the net, Hextall flipped the puck with his hockey stick through the entire length of the ice. Rod Langway was nearby the puck he could not save it.
However, before him, Billy Smith scored a goal on 28 November 1979 in his empty net. Billy made a goal for the New York Islanders in the 1979–80 season.
Patrick also holds the title of the oldest goaltender to win the championship. In his twenties, he played for 47 regular seasons for the Montreal Canadiens aka the Habs.
Roy also has the title of the youngest Conn Smythe Trophy winner. He is the only goaltender to win playoff MVP with two different teams, grabbing the award with Colorado in 2001.
He won four Stanely Cup titles, three Vezina Trophies, regular season games (1,029), most wins (551), and playoff games (247) before retiring in 2003. Roy emulated his trademark butterfly style.
The player at 35 helped Ray Bourque and the Colorado Avalanche to win against New Jersey Devils in 2001. He played his No. 33 in more than 200 games with three teams.
Harry Lumley holds a Guinness World Record as the youngest goalie in an NHL game. He was 17 years old when he first played for New York Rangers in the 1943 to 1944 seasons.
The player started his professional career with the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League. He was drafted in the third round, 51st overall, in the 1984 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens at that time he was a fan of the rival team Quebec Nordiques.
Top 10 Best NHL Goalies Of All Time
1. Martin Brodeur
691 career wins
2. Patrick Roy
551 career wins
3. Marc-Andre Fleury
500 career wins
4. Roberto Luongo
489 career wins
5. Ed Belfour
484 career wins
6. Henrik Lundqvist
459 career wins
7. Curtis Joseph
454 career wins
8. Terry Sawchuk
447 career wins
9. Jacques Plante
437 career wins
10. Tony Esposito
423 career wins
Martin Brodeur has made history by being the best goalie of all time. He won the Vezina Trophy for the league's most outstanding goaltender four times (2002-03, 2003-04, 2006-07, and 2007-08).
The player has set the records for 40 seasons and the most consecutive 30-win seasons. In 2009, Martin was announced as the all-time winningest National Hockey League goaltender surpassing Patrick with his 552nd win.
Patrick has won over 200 games with only two teams. He was named the greatest goaltender in the league history by a panel of 41 writers. He now serves as the general manager and head coach of the Quebec Remparts.
Marc-Andre Fleury makes it to the third position of the list with over 500 victories. For the season 2020-2021, he earned the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the National Hockey League for the first time at 36.
NHL Rookie Goalie
NHL Rookie Goalie are Logan Thompson, Pyotr Kochetkov, Stuart Skinner and more. Akira Schmid of the New Jersey Devils also makes it on the list.
Rookie Dan Vladar played years in his native Czech Republic before he was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. he has played 27 games in season 2022-23.
More NHL Rookie Goaltenders:
Daniil Tarasov, Columbus Blue Jackets
Drew Commesso, Chicago Blackhawks
Sebastian Cossa, Detroit Red Wings
Devon Levi, Buffalo Sabres
Logan Thompson - Vegas Golden Knights
Thompson was named the 2020-21 AHL All-Rookie Team. He also bagged All-Rookie Team honors in 2019 at Brock University and in 2015.
Logan appeared in 23 regular-season games in his first season with the Silver Knights. He had 16 wins which made him ranked second among all the goaltenders.
The 6-foot-4 Thompson signed an entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on 13 July 2020. In his starting game, his team had a win over the Ontario Reign with a 5-2 score.
Pyotr was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes 36th number overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month after posting a 7-0-1 record in December 2022.
He joined Peter Sidorkiewicz as the second Whalers/Hurricanes rookie to record two shutouts in a calendar month. He earned three shutouts that season.
Kochetkov started the season with the Chicago Wolves and has posted a 15-3-2 record with a 2.09 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage during 20 career AHL games.
The 23-year-old played in Dizel Penza Club as a young athlete in his hometown. He has played with HC Sochi, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, SKA Saint Petersburg, and HC Vityaz.
The Russian native first represented his nation at the junior level for the 2019 World Junior Championships in Vancouver. His squad claimed the Bronze medal against Switzerland.
Stuart Skinner - Edmonton Oilers
Stuart was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for March 2023. The 24-year-old was a third-round pick with 78th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Oilers.
The 6-feet-3-inches tall player has appeared with the Oilers in three seasons of the NHL. He has played major junior hockey in the Western Hockey League where he met his wife Chloe Skinner.
Highest Paid NHL Goalie 2023
Highest paid NHL Goalie 2023 are Connor McDavid, Artemi Panarin, Auston Mattews, and Erik Karlsson. John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs makes it to the list.
The goaltender with the highest wages annually are:
Connor McDavid ($12.5 million)
Artemi Panarin ($11.642 million)
Auston Matthews($11.64 million)
Erik Karlsson ($11.5 million)
Drew Doughty ($11 million)
John Tavares ($11 million)
Mitch Marner ($10.903 million)
Patrick Kane ($10.5 million)
Jonathan Toews ($10.5 million)
Connor signed an 8-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers worth $100,000,000 with a $100,000,000 guaranteed fortune and an annual average salary of $12,500,000.
Artemi signed a deal with the New York Rangers in a 7-year / $81,500,000 contract. It includes a $74,500,000 signing bonus, $81,500,000 guaranteed.
The richest National Hockey League player of all time is Wayne Gretzky with a net worth of $250 million. The professional ice hockey player played 20 seasons in NHL.
