Rogie Vachon
Usually, a bio or story starts from the beginning. Date of birth, childhood journey into goaltending, the first big break, and so forth. For this, I will include links at the end so you can see all the stats, accomplishments, and so on.
I’d like to start with Rogie Vachon’s time guarding the net for the LA Kings. Specifically, his iconic mask. While I was truly amazed at how fast he was, along with a uniform that was distinctly different from any other team jersey at the time, it was the mask that left me mesmerized. A smile. A grin. It gave me the impression that whatever was throw his way was met with a laugh… as if to say, “Is THAT all you have? Hahahah!” It was unique and most certainly stood out amongst the masks worn by his goaltending peers at the time (except for the few who refused to don one).
It was rare to see him play. Although he had a workhorse schedule, back in the 70’s the only way I could hope to see him in action was if he played against the Bruins or was one of the teams covered by Sunday afternoon’s Game of the Week. Sadly, because many TV stations at the time would erase and reuse the video tape, many of his spectacular performances were lost. Footage that was saved can be found on YouTube. I found some links that I will list. Check them out, as he was amazing!
On a side note, I remember having his trading card. On the back of the card, they would have a fun fact, accompanied by a little cartoon. When he played for Detroit, the back of his card stated that he bore a strong resemblance to entertainer Sonny Bono! It was the 1979-80 Topps O-Pee-Chee card #235.
His style of play was the standard style of the day. But he did it with cat-like reflexes. It was artistry in motion. After making the save, he’d toss the puck to the ref with his glove… all with that iconic grin on his mask. It was so cool!
Vachon came up with Montreal before playing for the Kings and Detroit. He ended his career in Boston, playing from 1967 to 1982.
After retiring, he joined the Kings organization as a goalie consultant before becoming the GM from 1984-1992. On a few occasions, he’d step in as an interim head coach.
In 2016, Vachon was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
My coverage of him barely scratches the surface of an outstanding career. To truly discover Vachon, please enjoy some of the links I found.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogie_Vachon
https://www.hhof.com/induction_archives/ind16Vachon.shtml
