He played at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and worked in the front office for the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers, the Utah Grizzlies of the International Hockey League, the Birmingham Bulls of the East Coast Hockey League and the Huntsville Channel Cats of the Central Hockey League. He also served as a hockey ambassador for the 2001 NHL All-Star festivities in Denver.

Plante collapsed and died Sunday in Madison just after the start of a street hockey game. He was 31. The visitation will take place Tuesday, Oct. 2 at Laughlin's Funeral Home on Bob Wallace Avenue from 5-8 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 11 a.m. at Laughlin's.

Affectionately known as "Frenchy," Plante also played in the adult hockey league at the Iceplex and had just started coaching one of the Huntsville Amateur Hockey Association's youth travel teams.

"Everybody liked him so much," UAH hockey coach Doug Ross said. "He was so glad to be a part of hockey anywhere. "I feel so bad for the family."

Plante came to UAH in 1988 as a freshman from Laval, Quebec. His four years with the Chargers included the team's first stint as a NCAA Division I program. He later earned a master's degree in sports management from the U.S. Sports Academy in Daphne, near Mobile.

He was part of two championships during his career, first in the IHL as an assistant to the general manager of the Grizzlies and then as general manager of the Channel Cats in 1999. Plante left the Cats after that season and joined UAH as director of athletics marketing and promotions.

"He represented the University well," said Ross, who was Plante's coach from 1988-92. "He was respected throughout the community. He's someone we're all going to miss."

Plante, whose wife, Valerie, is from Huntsville, also served as director of the College Hockey America (CHA) tournament for the last two seasons. He had planned to work at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

But it was his work with the community that he enjoyed, taking part in golf tournament fund-raisers around the area. "He was real involved in the community," Ross said. "All the people he came in contact with enjoyed being with him."

One of those was a player on Plante's youth team. Ross said the player had a new pair of gloves and was going to ask Plante to autograph them for him. "That's the kind of affect he had on people," said Ross.

Plante's death leaves a void in Ross' life. Ross said Plante would stroll into his office nearly every morning and the two would chat until Plante had to go to one of his countless meetings.

"He'd always stop in at 10 to 9," Ross said. "I'm going to miss that."