# Michel Plasse

Michel Pierre Plasse (June 1, 1948 – December 30, 2006) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League from 1970 to 1982. He was selected first overall in the 1968 NHL Amateur Draft by the Montreal Canadiens

## Playing career

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Plasse played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1970 to 1982 after being the first overall draft pick in the 1968 NHL Amateur Draft. During his NHL career, he played for the St. Louis Blues (1970–71), Montreal Canadiens (1973–74), Kansas City Scouts (1974–75), Pittsburgh Penguins (1975–76), Colorado Rockies (1976–80), and Quebec Nordiques (1981–1982).
Despite being a first draft pick, Plasse played just sixty minutes in goal for his first club, St. Louis, playing mainly for their affiliate, the Kansas City Blues of the Central Hockey League. On February 21, 1971, the Oklahoma City Blazers were trailing the Blues 2–1 and decided to pull their goaltender. Plasse scored on the open net and became the first professional goalie in the history of the game to score a goal.
Plasse returned to Kansas City as the first pick of the NHL Scouts in the 1974 expansion draft. Plasse attended the draft at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
"All year long, I said I was going to Kansas City. I used to sing that in the locker room to my teammates, 'Kansas City, here I come,'" Plasse told Jay Greenberg of the Kansas City Star. (Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts, pp. 41-42)
In total, Plasse clocked up 16,760 regular season minutes on ice in 299 games, conceding 1,058 goals with an average of 3.79 goals per game. He earned two shutouts, both for Pittsburgh in 1975–76. He played four Stanley Cup playoff games, conceding nine goals in 195 minutes at a rate of 2.77, including one shutout. Plasse won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1973.

## Death

Plasse died in La Visitation-de-l'Île-Dupas, Quebec of a heart attack on December 30, 2006.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
| 1965–66 | Drummondville Rangers | QJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1966–67 | Drummondville Rangers | QJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1967–68 | Drummondville Rangers | QJHL | 30 | — | — | — | 1800 | 63 | 3 | 2.10 | — | 10 | 8 | 2 | 600 | 32 | 1 | 3.20 | — |
| 1967–68 | Drummondville Rangers | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 3 | 250 | 19 | 0 | 4.56 | — |
| 1968–69 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 320 | 27 | 0 | 5.40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1969–70 | Jacksonville Rockets | EHL | 61 | — | — | — | 3660 | 297 | 0 | 4.87 | — | 4 | 0 | 4 | 240 | 35 | 0 | 8.75 | — |
| 1970–71 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 3 | 0 | 3.00 | .917 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1970–71 | Kansas City Blues | CHL | 16 | — | — | — | 960 | 42 | 0 | 2.63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1971–72 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 36 | — | — | — | 2036 | 94 | 1 | 2.77 | — | 15 | 12 | 3 | 912 | 19 | 3 | 1.25 | — |
| 1972–73 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 17 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 932 | 40 | 0 | 2.58 | .912 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1973–74 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 15 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 839 | 57 | 0 | 4.08 | .861 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1974–75 | Kansas City Scouts | NHL | 24 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 1420 | 96 | 0 | 4.06 | .878 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1974–75 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 20 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1094 | 73 | 0 | 4.00 | .890 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1975–76 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 55 | 24 | 19 | 10 | 3096 | 178 | 2 | 3.45 | .890 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 180 | 8 | 1 | 2.67 | .914 |
| 1975–76 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 278 | 25 | 0 | 5.40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1976–77 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 54 | 12 | 29 | 10 | 2986 | 190 | 0 | 3.82 | .889 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1977–78 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 25 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 1383 | 90 | 0 | 3.90 | .871 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1977–78 | Hampton Gulls | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 124 | 5 | 0 | 2.42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1978–79 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 41 | 9 | 29 | 2 | 2302 | 152 | 0 | 3.96 | .873 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1978–79 | Philadelphia Firebirds | AHL | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 423 | 31 | 0 | 4.39 | .854 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 327 | 26 | 0 | 4.77 | .838 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Fort Worth Texans | CHL | 32 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 1632 | 113 | 0 | 4.15 | — | 14 | 8 | 5 | 827 | 41 | 1 | 2.97 | — |
| 1980–81 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 33 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 1933 | 118 | 0 | 3.66 | .876 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 4.00 | .833 |
| 1981–82 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 388 | 35 | 0 | 5.41 | .820 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | Binghamton Whalers | AHL | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 444 | 32 | 0 | 4.32 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 299 | 92 | 136 | 54 | 16,760 | 1058 | 2 | 3.79 | .881 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 195 | 9 | 1 | 2.77 | .909 |
"Plasse's stats". The Goaltender Home Page. Retrieved 2017-08-07.