The play combines drama, comedy and real events to tell the story of a Toronto woman who falls in love with the legendary hockey goalie, Jacques Plante, through their mutual love of knitting.
Keywords: • Hockey • Knitting • Jacques Plante • Hockey history • The goalie mask • Montreal Canadiens • Toronto Maple Leafs
The play premiered on CBC Radio in 1993, after winning the CBC Radio/Quebec Playwrights Drama Federation Award. It was directed by Guy Sprung and starred renowned actors Raymond Cloutier as Plante and Janet Amos as Violet.
First produced on stage in 1999 at Lunchbox Theatre, Calgary, Alberta.
Genre: Drama
Acts: 1
Run time: 90 minutes
Suitable for students 12+
Cast size: 7 actors
Male Cast: 4
Female Cast: 3
Casting notes: Helpful if actor playing Jacques Plante could speak French, or English with a passable French accent.
“Paul McLaughlin’s comedy/drama is a sweet, affecting play about a Toronto housewife’s unrequited love for the great goaltender, which touches poignantly on fan worship and gently punctures the macho aura surrounding Canada’s national sport.” Calgary Herald.
Page Two columnist Eve McBride wrote in the Montreal Gazette: “The way McLaughlin hooks [Plante’s hockey and knitting] to the man’s appealing character to his painful and sensational career to the life of a lonely and unhappy woman who also knits is — well, brilliant.”
“A triumph – when the play draws to an end, you wish it could go into overtime.” Calgary Sun.
“Plante’s life is great theatre,” wrote Calgary Herald sports columnist Bruce Dowbiggin. “Lunchbox scores a winner with play about Hall of Famer.”
“A triumph – when the play draws to an end, you wish it could go into overtime.” Calgary Sun.
“Plante’s life is great theatre,” wrote Calgary Herald sports columnist Bruce Dowbiggin. “Lunchbox scores a winner with play about Hall of Famer.”