1959–60 Montreal Canadiens season
| 1959–60 Montreal Canadiens | |
|---|---|
|
Stanley Cup champions
|
|
|
Prince of Wales Trophy winners
|
|
| League | 1st NHL |
| 1959–60 record | 40–18–12 |
| Goals for | 255 |
| Goals against | 178 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Frank J. Selke |
| Coach | Toe Blake |
| Captain | Maurice Richard |
| Alternate captains |
Bernie Geoffrion Doug Harvey Tom Johnson |
| Arena | Montreal Forum |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Jean Beliveau (34) |
| Assists | Henri Richard (43) |
| Points | Jean Beliveau (74) |
| Penalties in minutes | Henri Richard (66) |
| Wins | Jacques Plante (40) |
| Goals against average | Jacques Plante (2.54) |
The 1959–60 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 51st season of play. The team had another outstanding season, placing first in the league and winning the Stanley Cup for the fifth consecutive season, and the 12th time in team history.
On November 1, 1959, at 3:06 of the first period, Jacques Plante was hit in the face by a shot fired by Andy Bathgate. Plante came back in the game wearing a mask (the second goaltender in NHL history to wear a mask after Clint Benedict) starting a trend where all NHL goaltenders today wear a mask.
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.
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