Oct. 17, 1963 - Jacques Plante, the goalie who wants to win friends in New York, owned a considerable portion of Manhattan Island today following the Rangers’ 3-0 shutout against the Detroit Red Wings last night at Madison Square Garden. The crowd of 15,240, the largest home-opening attendance in 16 years, rose as one in tribute to the former hero of Montreal. What made Plante’s initial appearance before the home folks a little different than some past ones endured by Gump Worsley is that Plante got help. His fowards, namely Phil Goyette, Rod Gilbert, and Val Fonteyne, scored goals, while his defensemen, not generally considered the best in the business, were alert and active. Jacque chatters in both French and English as he urges on his teammates. Said Andy Bathgate, the Blueshirts’ captain: “It’s just great to hear Plante hollering in there.” Plante speaks English fluently. His wife and children do not, however, because they live in a suburb of Montreal where, as Plante says, “everybody speaks French.” “I was keyed up for my first appearance in New York,” Plante said today. “All I wanted was to play well for the fans and for the Rangers. It was almost something like the first game I played in the league. The win couldn’t have been better, the guys played great in front of me, and I feel as though I found a new home. When you get the defensemen checking for you and the forwards checking for you, then you have winning hockey.”
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