Legendary reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.
This week recalls a bizarre game when ironman goalie Glenn Hall, creator of the "Butterfly" technique, was ejected in less than three minutes. Earlier in his long career, Hall set a record of playing 502 consecutive games without a mask.
On this night, he donned a mask for the first time, but not for very long.
Glenn Hall, a 1975 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, was notorious for his self-imposed pregame dressing room ritual of vomiting to relax his stomach.
On Nov. 13, 1968, it was more than "Mr. Goalie's" tummy that was upset. Author-historian Alan Greenberg attended the game between the St. Louis Blues against the New York Rangers at Madison Garden. He remembered what led to the Blues goalie's rare tantrum and subsequent banishment.
"Glenn was irritable before the game had started," Greenberg recalled, "because he was wearing a mask for the first time in his career and felt uncomfortable with it."
In his authorized biography, "Glenn Hall: The Man Called Mr. Goalie," author Tom Adrahtas explained how teammate Red Berenson finally persuaded Hall to change his mind about wearing the mask -- and the goalie's reaction.
"After Red convinced me," Hall said, "he said, 'Why not now?' and the next night I put it on before a Rangers game in New York."
Shortly after the opening face-off, New York's Vic Hadfield beat Hall with a long, unscreened shot that dipped and curved. Frustrated and unnerved, Mr. Goalie soon lost his temper when referee Vern Buffey called a delay of game penalty against the Blues.
"Hall left his crease to argue the call," Adrahtas wrote. "When Buffey rebuffed the masked man, Hall responded with a poke of his catching glove to the referee's chest. That cost Glenn a game misconduct penalty. It was the first and only game misconduct of his career."
This, in turn, caused complications for St. Louis coach Scotty Bowman since he had been alternating Hall and Jacques Plante every game. To rest each of them, he employed inexperienced Robbie Irons as a third goalie, but never wanted to actually put Irons in a regular game.
Now Bowman had no choice.
"Scotty had to figure out a way to have Irons in there for as little time as possible so that Plante could get dressed and take over from Hall," Greenberg said. "Bowman signaled Jacques to hurry down from the press box and put on his equipment. Meanwhile, defenseman Doug Harvey was concerned by the very sight of inexperienced Irons taking over.
"Harvey came over to me," Bowman remembered, "and said, 'We can't go with Irons. Do you want me to tell him to get hurt?' I said, 'OK if you can.' And he did."
Said Irons: "I went down on one knee and pretended to be injured. Then, after a bit, I went to the bench to compose myself. After that the trainer took me to the dressing room. Pretty soon, the referee came down and said, 'Let's get this game going,' so I went out and played."
Bowman's plan worked. Irons only played for three minutes without having a shot on goal. That was enough time for Plante to take over and he was flawless (21 saves) in a 3-1 Blues victory.
"Robbie's three-minute record stood for years as the shortest career by an NHL goaltender," Greenberg said. "It turned out to be a significant three minutes for Irons and the NHL."
But not without repercussions. Both Rangers president William M. Jennings and general manager Emile Francis forcefully protested during the shenanigans and belatedly got results.
What became known as The Robbie Irons Rule was imposed -- and then modified -- by the NHL.
"It required that in the regular season the two goaltenders that were dressed had to finish the game," Irons said, "or the team had to use a defenseman."
Hall calmed down after the Blues' unusual victory. In the locker room, he humorously deadpanned to a teammate, "See, every time I wear a mask I get thrown out of a game. Now I know what a starting pitcher in baseball feels like when he gets knocked out in the first inning."
Now masked, just three days after the Irons episode, Hall defeated the Oakland Seals 7-0 for his 74th NHL shutout. He told Adraitas why he never would go maskless again.
"I've had more than 250 stitches in my head and face," he said. "I don't want to have my paycheck mailed to me at Good Samaritan Hospital."
Then, a pause: "Or, for that matter, the cemetery!"
