That’s Not Hockey!

That’s Not Hockey is actually a very brief biography of Jacques Plante, who won the Stanley Cup as goalie for the Montreal Canadiens and who, seven times, was recognized with the Vezina Trophy that is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's goaltender "adjudged to be the best at this position". Because Plante’s NHL career principally spanned the 1950s and 60s, he will not be a known name to the book’s young readers (and perhaps not to their parents as well). However, after reading That’s Not Hockey, perhaps the next time the book’s readers watch a hockey game and see a mask-wearing goalie, they may think of Jacques Plante, the person who is credited with introducing and popularizing this piece of protective hockey equipment.

Poulin’s approach to Jacques Plante’s life story is that, when it came to hockey, Jacques was seemingly always different, and, as a consequence, he was frequently mocked for being so, but he, nonetheless, stood his ground. At three, Jacques was told, “Hey, that’s not hockey!” when he played using a ball; at five, the chant of “Hey, that’s not hockey!” came because his goalie stick was fashioned by his father from a tree root, and at seven, Jacques’ first goalie pads, constructed by his father from potato sacks and wooden slats, again elicited the pejorative observation, “Hey, that’s not hockey!”

Poulin then jumps ahead to Jacques’ signing with Montreal Canadiens when he was 21 (and the observation, “Now, that’s hockey!”) But again, Jacque departed from tradition by being a “wandering” goalie who left his crease area to pass the puck to his defensemen, again drawing the “Hey, that’s not hockey!” judgement from some fans. As the excerpt above indicates, being a goalie could result in numerous injuries, with not all of them occurring in games. Because team practices could lead to even more injuries, including facial injuries, Jacques began wearing a homemade fiberglass mask, and, from the perspective of the team’s coach, Toe Blake, “Hey, that’s not hockey!”

At Blake’s insistence, Jacques did not wear the mask in a game until November, 1959, when, early in a match against the New York Rangers, he took a puck in the face. “A gash runs from his nose to his mouth.” After getting stitched up, Jacques refused to return to the ice unless he could wear his mask. Because NHL team rosters at that time did not include a backup goalie, Coach Blake’s choices were limited: forfeit the game, make a forward or a defenseman don the goalie equipment or submit to Jacques’ demand. Jacques prevailed and the Canadiens won 4-1, and continued to wear his mask at every game. However,

Reporters, players, goaltenders, and crowds continue to tease and taunt him.
”Hey, that’s not hockey!”

Nonetheless, Jacques continued to wear the mask, and, “Little by little, hockey fans stop teasing him”, and when the Canadiens go on to win the Stanley Cup, Jacques, whose new nickname is “The Masked Marvel”, gets to hear: “Now that’s hockey!”

A very brief bio of Jacques Plante can be found on the book’s last page. As the book’s cover reveals, Girard uses a cartoon-like illustration style.

Though That’s Not Hockey is a biography, its contents offer a subtle message in standing up for yourself and what you believe in.