1968 NHL Amateur Draft Pick

Round	Overall
1	1

Michel Plasse

Selected by Montreal from Drummondville (QJHL)

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5-foot-11, 172 pounds

Left-hand catcher

Goaltender

Pre-Draft Statistics

Year	Team	League	GP	W-L-T	GAA	SO	SV%
1967-68	D'ville	QJHL	30	n/a	2.10	3	n/a

Pre-Draft Notes

Won QJHL Jacques Plante Trophy with league-leading 2.10 goals-against average for Drummondville in 1967-68. ... Led QJHL playoffs with 8 wins in 1968. ... Named to 1967-68 QJHL All-Star Second Team. ... Played in 1968 Memorial Cup tourney.

Canadian • Born June 1, 1948 in Montreal • Hometown: New Glasgow, Quebec • Died Dec. 30, 2006

Career Vitals

First contract:	1968
Debut:	March 30, 1971 (Los Angeles at St. Louis)
Final NHL game:	December 12, 1981 (Quebec vs. St. Louis)
Retired:	1982
Stanley Cup:	1973
Numbers worn:	30 (St. Louis); 1 (Montreal); 1, 31 (KC/ Colorado); 31 (Pittsburgh); 1 (Quebec)

Career NHL Statistics

Teams: St. Louis, Montreal, KC/Colorado, Pittsburgh, Quebec
Years: 1971-1981. Playoffs: 1976-1981

Regular Season
	GP	W-L-T	GAA	SO	SV%
11 years	299	92-136-54	3.79	2	n/a

Stanley Cup Playoffs
	GP	G	A	TP	PIM
2 years	4	1-2	2.77	1	n/a

Complete statistics available at NHL.com

Career Highlights

Won AHL Calder Cup with Nova Scotia in 1972. ... Led AHL goaltenders in playoff wins (12), playoff shutouts (3), and playoff goals-against average (1.25) with Nova Scotia in 1972. ... Set Pittsburgh record (since broken) for saves in one period with 22 on March 2, 1975, at N.Y. Rangers. ... Won Colorado Player of Year Award for leading team in Three-Star home-game selections in 1976-77. ... Won Colorado Most Popular Player Award in 1976-77. ...Led CHL goaltenders in playoff games played (14), playoff minutes (827), playoff wins (8) and playoff shutouts (1, co-leader) with Fort Worth in 1980.

Significant Injuries

Missed last month of regular season and entire 1975 playoffs with injury. ... Missed parts of 1977-78 season with broken finger and knee injury.

Transaction History

Oct. 1, 1970 -- Loaned by Montreal to Kansas City (CHL) so that he could get more playing time in St. Louis organization. Dec. 11, 1970 -- Rights sold by Montreal to St. Louis. Aug. 23, 1971 -- Rights sold by St. Louis back to Montreal to complete loan for the 1970-71 season. June 12, 1974 -- Claimed by Kansas City from Montreal in NHL Expansion Draft. Jan. 10, 1975 -- Traded by Kansas City to Pittsburgh for Denis Herron and Jean-Guy Lagace. Aug. 7, 1976 -- Sent by Pittsburgh with Simon Nolet and subsequent Sept. 1, 1976, loan of Colin Campbell for the 1976-77 season to Colorado as compensation for Pittsburgh's signing of restricted free agent Denis Herron. Sept. 14, 1980 -- Signed with Quebec as unrestricted free agent after being released by Colorado. Jan. 12, 1982 -- Traded by Quebec with 1983 fourth-round pick (Ron Chyzowski) to Hartford for John Garrett

Plasse's Historic Goal

Plasse holds a place in history as the first North American professional goaltender to score a goal. His remarkable achievement, unthinkable at the time, came while he was playing for the Kansas City Blues of the Central Hockey League in a Feb. 21, 1971, game vs. Oklahoma City. While clearing a loose puck with 44 seconds lto go in a 2-1 game, Plasse, who was certainly not attempting to score, flipped it all the way down the ice into the net, which was left open for an extra attacker. Nearly two decades later, this situation would amount to the same scenario under which Ron Hextall became the first NHL goalie to score a goal.

Life Outside the NHL

Full Name: Michel Pierre Plasse

Other Post-Draft Teams: Cleveland (AHL); Jacksonville (EHL); Kansas City (CHL); Nova Scotia (AHL); Hershey (AHL); Hampton, Philadelphia (AHL); Fort Worth (CHL); Binghamton (AHL)

Death: Plasse died of a heart attack in Ile du Pas, Quebec, at the end of 2006. He was 58 years old.

Miscellaneous:

Selected by Quebec Nordiques in 1972 WHA Draft, the first-ever WHA Draft, in February 1972.	Left Montreal in 1974 Expansion Draft after Ken Dryden had opted to return from law school.	Was one of the first NHL goalies to wear the European birdcage-style mask in mid-1970s.	Ranked among NHL leaders in minutes played in both 1975-76 (3,096) and 1976-77 (2,986).
Recorded his first NHL shutout in Pittsburgh's 5-0 home win over Minnesota on March 6, 1976.	Faced 50 or more shots in four games for Colorado during the 1976-77 season.	Made 48 saves in Colorado's 5-2 home victory over N.Y. Rangers on Feb. 1, 1977.	Led all NHL goaltenders with 29 losses for Colorado in 1978-79 regular season.

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SNAPSHOT '68
Total Selected:	24
Forwards:	13
Defense:	8
Goaltenders:	3
Major Junior:	16
College Players:	4
Canadian:	22
USA Citizens:	2
U.S.-Born:	1
European:	0
Reached NHL:	10
Won Stanley Cup:	2
Hall of Fame:	0
All-Star Game:	2
Year-end All-Star:	0
Olympians:	0
Picks Traded:	1