The first goalie to wear a mask was Jaques Plante. Jaques Plante got a broken nose from a puck hitting his face. He tried to tell his coach he wanted to wear a helmet but Jaques coach thought it would block his vision. So he got stitched up and went to the bench. The coach told him to go back to the goal but he refused to until he is allowed to wear a helmet. The coach allowed it only if he played good. Jaques Plante had the best game of his career. Now thanks to Plante all goalies have to wear helmets.
Richard Bartlaga CC0
Goalie masks are one of the coolest things in hockey. Since Jaques Plante they have become more protected and more people design them. My favorite is Gilles Gratton's tiger mask.
NHL.com/Author Unknown CC0
Another cool helmet is Gerry Cherveers goalie mask. Back in the day Gerry Chreevers coach still didn't let him wear a mask even after the Jaques Plante insident. When his coach finally allowed him to wear a mask he thought of a really creative idea. He thought that every time the puck hit his helmet he would draw a stitch mark on the helmet to show his coach how many stiches he would need if he wasn't wearing a helmet.
Flcker.com/ Unknown Author CC0