Monday, December 21, 2009

Anyone out there remember the last time they saw an NHL goalie play without a face mask?

I saw Ed Giacomin in the old Madison Square Garden in the late sixties. The Rangers were playing the Leafs and he stopped Frank Mahovalich in the closing seconds on a breakaway to preserve the win. You had to see those maskless goalies live, to realize how crazy they really were.Anyone out there remember the last time they saw an NHL goalie play without a face mask?
Does anyone remember Bernie Parent of the Philadelphia Flyers he played in the '70's. He wore the Jason type hockey mask. In February,1979, Parent's career was cut short by a career ending eye injury in a game against the New York Rangers. An errant stick entered the right eye hole of his mask causing permanent damage to his vision. This incident led many NHL goalies to move away from the fibreglass facemask toward the cage and helmet style widely used today.Anyone out there remember the last time they saw an NHL goalie play without a face mask?
The last goaltender to play without a mask, was Andy Brown, of the Pittsburgh Penquins, April 7, 1974.





The last player to play without a helmet was Craig MacTavish, of the St.Louis Blues, 1996/97 season.
I saw Gump Worsley play for the North Stars on TV.
March 1974, Andy Brown against the Black Hawks.





For me at the time, it was nothing unusual because I grew up without the mask
He's right. However, keep in mind that it wasn't as crazy as it sounds. There were three main reasons they could get away with not wearing a mask.





1) They were all standup goalies. They spent perhaps 5% of their time sitting or kneeling on the ice and that was solely to cover the puck.





2) It wasn't until the 60's that the curved blade was seen and not until the 70's where it was a mainstay in professional hockey. Curved blades = higher shots.





3) Believe it or not, slapshots weren't the main weapon of choice for scorers.
the last guy 2 play without a mask was andy brown of the penguins in 1974 i think!!
Too young for that, but I did see Doug Wilson and Ron Duguay rock their 'fros sans helmet.

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