Subscribe for access to 1,400+ articles & episodes, less than $1/week Subscribe Now →
Subscribe

International Goalie Day

November 1, every year · #GoalieDay

Goalie Day, also known as National Goalie Day or the International Day of the Goaltender, is November 1. It marks the night in 1959 that Jacques Plante first wore his mask in an NHL game, and it belongs to every goalie who has ever strapped on the pads. InGoal Magazine declared it in 2017. 2026 was number 10.

How to celebrate

  • Post your goalie. Use #GoalieDay for a photo from the crease, the first pads, the old mask, or the kid who volunteered to go in net.
  • Thank a goalie. Your teammate, your kid, your coach, the one who stayed for one more shot. It takes ten seconds.
  • Skaters: keep it low in warmup.
  • Defencemen: don't check the opposing forwards into your goaltenders.
  • Stay out of the crease. One day a year. They'll appreciate the gesture.
  • Goalies: wear the mask to work. Plante took plenty of grief for his too.
  • Please just don't say the S word. You know the one. We're not all superstitious, but your goalie might be. If your goalie hasn't let one in yet, nobody in the room says it. Today of all days.

What to give a goalie on Goalie Day

Obviously, some gear. The Hockey Shop has plenty of it, and there isn't a goalie alive who has enough.

For the goalie who wants to get better, an InGoal Magazine gift membership puts NHL goalies breaking down their own saves in their hands all year.

If that's too pricey and you're just looking after the goalie on your team, bring a donut. It's round, it's sweet, and it's the only number a goalie wants to see on the board. A donut is a great symbol of Goalie Day.

Why November 1

Jacques Plante took an Andy Bathgate backhand to the face at Madison Square Garden on November 1, 1959. It took seven stitches to close his nose, and he told Montreal coach Toe Blake he wasn't returning without his mask. Blake had no real alternative, since the only other goalie in the building was the Rangers' house goalie. “OK. Do it,” he said. Montreal won 3-1, and the mask stayed on for an 11-game unbeaten run. Clint Benedict had tried one in 1930, but Plante was the first NHL goalie to wear one regularly.

Fifty-eight years later, InGoal's Paul Campbell was writing a short anniversary piece on that mask and looked for an official day to tie it to. He found none, for the mask or for goalies in general. “Because InGoal was the only media hub solely dedicated to goaltending at the time, I thought a declaration from InGoal would be as official as possible,” he says. Getting from the idea to the declaration took about three days.

The mask made the date an easy choice, and Campbell saw more in it. “His number, and that of most goalies in history, was 1. Nov 1 is 11/1. Perfect,” he says. It also lands on All Saints' Day. “Saint Patrick Roy comes to mind,” Campbell says, “and all goalies are saviors.”

“You are carrying a torch handed down through the generations, without which hockey simply wouldn't be.”

“Carry yourself with pride and stone-cold ferocity. You represent all of us, and we you.”

Paul Campbell, to every goalie heading to the rink

Goalie Day stories from InGoal

Goalie Day questions

When is Goalie Day?

November 1, every year.

Is International Goalie Day the same as National Goalie Day?

Yes. International Goalie Day, National Goalie Day, the International Day of the Goaltender, and plain Goalie Day all mean the same day: November 1. It belongs to goalies everywhere, so international is the name we use.

Who started Goalie Day?

InGoal Magazine writer Paul Campbell. In 2017 he was writing about the anniversary of Jacques Plante's mask, found no official day for the mask or for goalies, and InGoal declared one.

Why is Goalie Day on November 1?

Jacques Plante first wore his mask in an NHL game on November 1, 1959. Paul Campbell liked the date for another reason too: Plante wore number 1, and November 1 is 11/1.

What should I get a goalie for Goalie Day?

Gear is the obvious answer, and an InGoal Magazine gift membership works for any goalie. If that's too pricey and you're just looking after the goalie on your team, bring a donut.

What hashtag do you use for Goalie Day?

#GoalieDay