Who was the first NHL player to wear a mask in a regular-season game?

Clint Benedict was the first NHL player to wear a mask in a regular-season game. The Montreal Maroons goaltender used a crude leather face protector in 1930 after a shot severely injured his nose and cheekbone.

Benedict’s mask was a short-lived experiment rather than the modern helmet-style equipment familiar today. A thick nosepiece obstructed his vision, especially on low shots, and he wore the protection for only a handful of games. Another facial injury later that season ended his NHL career.

The date is sometimes reported as January 7 or February 20, 1930, reflecting different historical accounts of his injury, return and first masked appearance. The accepted historical point is unchanged: Benedict preceded Jacques Plante by nearly three decades.

Plante is often mistakenly credited as the first masked NHL goalie because he made the mask practical and popular. After being struck in the face by a shot in 1959, Plante refused to return without his fiberglass mask. He kept wearing it, and his success helped persuade other goaltenders and the league to accept facial protection. Benedict’s earlier leather shield was the crucial precedent.