Mention the name of goaltending great Jacques Plante to those who remember him, and you'll hear nothing but plaudits about the way he played the game.

During a career that spanned 17 seasons and five teams, Plante won seven Vezina trophies as the NHL's outstanding goalie, played on six Stanley Cup champions and was a first team All-Star three times. But his greatest legacy will always be for the way he changed the face of the game -- simply by being determined enough to hide his own.

Plante began his career in 1953 with the Montreal Canadiens, and quickly demonstrated the cat-like quickness and agility that would help him win 434 games over the course of his career. But Plante also demonstrated an iconoclastic side, insisting on playing the game the way he saw fit.

It wasn't long before the native of Shawinigan, Quebec was doing things that were unheard of at the time, including leaving his crease to stop pucks shot deep into his zone and set them up for his defensemen, and diving out of his net to smoother loose pucks.

His coach, the legendary Toe Blake, wasn't thrilled with Plante's innovations, but since the netminder began string of five consecutive Vezina trophies in the 1955, which coincided with a string of five straight Stanley Cups for the team, who could argue?

Still, Blake did draw the line in one area -- Plante's face. The goaltender had been working on designs for a facemask since his cheekbone was shattered by a shot in 1995, but his efforts drew the ire of his coach who refused to let him wear it during a game.

A goaltender named Clint Benedict had tried wearing a crude leather mask in the 1930s, but abondened it after finding it hindered his vision. Plante figured he could do better, and on November 1, 1959 in Madison Square Garden, he got his chance.

Three minutes into the games, the Rangers star right winger Andy Bathgate retaliated for being upended by Plante by blasting a slapshot that hit the goaltender squarely, breaking his nose. Battered and bloodied, Plante skated to the bench and told his coach he would continue playing only on his terms. Since teams only dressed one goalie in those years, Blake really had no choice.

Jacques Plante made a major impact on goaltending.

Plante went into the dressing room, took seven stitches to close the gash beneath his nose, and then returned to the ice wearing …. a face mask! The crowd gasped in disbelief.

When asked later if he thought wearing a mask would make goalies seem like they were afraid of the puck, Plante replied, "If you jumped out of a plane without a parachute, would that make you brave."

From then on, Plante, who died in 1986 at age 57, wore a mask whenever he played, and over the years, the face shield became a standard part of the equipment for those manning the nets.

And it was all because of the actions of one man, who on a memorable night 40 years ago, dared to make a difference.

It was a significant event for hockey, one of several that took place in NHL history during the week of November 1-7.

November 1

Daren Puppa made himself a tough act to follow.(Allsport)

He began his NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres in the shadow of Tom Barrasso, another young goaltender who was one year removed from winning the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. Daren Puppa knew he had to do something quickly to establish himself, and he got a great opportunity when he made his first career start on this date in 1985. The 20-year-old netminder's first opponent was the defending Stanley Cup-champion Edmonton Oilers, one of the top scoring machines of all time. Puppa was undaunted, and became the 18th goaltender in history to record a shutout in his NHL debut, winning the game 2-0.

November 1

Denis Potvin lived up to his billing.

When the one-year-old New York Islanders made Denis Potvin the first overall choice in 1973, they were pinning their hopes for the future on the broad shoulders of the young defenseman from Hull, Quebec. They were not disappointed. By the time his Hall of Fame career ended in 1988, Potvin had helped make history on Long Island. He led the Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cups in the early 1980s, won the Norris Trophy winner as top defenseman three times and was a first team All Star five times. On this date in 1987, his final season, Potvin reached a personal milestone for longevity, playing in his 1,000th game, a 6-5 overtime win over the Boston Bruins.

November 2

Ivan Boldirev remains part of hockey history in K.C.

These days, the only time you are likely to hear the name Kansas City Scouts is in a hockey trivia game, but the team did in fact play a couple of seasons in the National Hockey League. They moved to Colorado where they were called the Rockies, and eventually the franchise settled in New Jersey, where it continues to flourish today as the Devils. On this date in 1974, the Scouts played the very first NHL game in Kansas City, taking on the Chicago Blackhawks at the Kemper Arena. Chicago's Ivan Boldirev, playing with his third team in as four years, scored the very first goal there, helping the 'Hawks win 4-3.

November 3

Dick Irvin helped the Canadiens dynasty continue.(AP)

There have been many legendary coaches who have stood behind the bench of the Montreal Canadiens over the years -- men such as Toe Blake, Scotty Bowman and Newsy Lalonde. All these men had great success in one of the most pressure-packed positions in sports, but no one held the job longer than Dick Irvin, who spent 15 seasons guiding the fortunes of the Habs. On this date in 1940. Irvin coached his first game for Montreal, a contest against Boston that ended in a 1-1. The Canadiens were the third and final team Irvin coached during his 26-year career, and they won three Stanley Cups during his tenure.

November 4

Wayne Gretzky rewrote the record books with the Oilers.(Allsport)

Not too many players play in 1,000 games during their NHL careers, and even fewer reach the 1,000-point plateau. Of course, Wayne Gretzky was not like any other NHL player. On this date in 1987, his final season with the Edmonton Oilers, Gretzky had two assists to give him 1,000 for his career, and joined Gordie Howe as the only player to reach that mark. Coincidentally, Marcel Dionne of the Rangers, recorded his 999th career assist during the same game, which Edmonton won 7-2. Dionne got No. 1,000 three days later.

November 5

Chicago fans got a rush when Darryl Sutter scored.(Allsport)

Lots of people must have been in a hurry-up mood on this date in 1983, because two records for speed of goals were established in two separate games. In Quebec, the Nordiques and the New York Rangers recorded the two fastest goals from the start of a period for two teams (14 seconds) when Quebec's Andre Savard tallied eight seconds into the third period and New York's Pierre Larouche replied at the six seconds later. Meanwhile in Minnesota, the Blackhawks set a speed record for two goals by one team (21 seconds, when Ken Yaremchuk scored 12 seconds into the second period and Darryl Sutter added another goal nine seconds later.

November 6

Mark Messier can look back at some great days in New York.(Allsport)

New York Rangers fans called him the Messiah because he was expected to lead the team to the Stanley Cup. In 1994, Mark Messier did just that, turning in a standout playoff performance that culminated when he raised the Stanley Cup in Madison Square Garden. That memorable moment ended a 54-year championship drought for the Broadway Blueshirts, and cemented his place in Ranger history. A few months later, Messier added milestone to in the very same arena, when he scored the 500th goal of his career on this date in 1995. Fittingly, the marker was his third goal of the game, and proved to be the winner as the Rangers went on to defeat Calgary 4-2.

November 7

Red Berenson never sang the Blues in St. Louis.

A fresh start often makes a tremendous difference in a player's career, and Red Berenson certainly took advantage of the one he was given. After six rather unremarkable seasons with the Canadiens and Rangers, Berenson was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 1967 expansion draft, and for the next few seasons, became one of the most productive scorers in the NHL. His biggest night came on this date in 1968 when he set a record for most goals in a road game by scoring six times in an 8-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. Four of his goals came in 9:09 span in the third period, tying the record for most goals in one period. A total of 11 players share the one-period record, which was most recently accomplished in 1997 by Mario Lemieux of the Penguins during a 5-2 win at Montreal.