Gump Worsley

Lorne John "Gump" Worsley (May 14, 1929 – January 26, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, 'Gump' was given his nickname because friends thought he looked like a comic-strip character Andy Gump.

Career

Worsley played his first four years as a professional in the minor leagues, most notably for the New York Rovers of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), the St. Paul Saints of the United States Hockey League (USHL), and the Saskatoon Quakers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Between 1950 and 1952 he was named to the First All-Star Team three times and led the league in goaltending.

In the fall of 1952 he was signed by the New York Rangers of the NHL. Although he played for a last-place team, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. However, after asking for a pay increase of $500 a year, he was sent back down to the minor leagues the following season. In 1953-54, playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL, he won the league's most valuable player award.

In 1954-55, Worsley returned to the Rangers, replacing Johnny Bower. He toiled for the Rangers for the next nine seasons, generally playing well for a poor team. In the 1955–56 New York Rangers season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks, Worsley made 43 saves, setting a franchise record.

In the summer of 1963, Worsley became involved in the establishment of a players' union, and the Rangers promptly traded him to the Montreal Canadiens. He spent much of the next two seasons in the American Hockey League with the Quebec Aces and was named to the AHL's First All-Star Team in 1964. Returning to the NHL, Worsley played his best years for the Canadiens as the team won the Stanley Cup in 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969. His best season was 1968, when he won the Vezina Trophy, attained a goals-against average of 1.98 — the lowest in his career — and earned eleven straight wins in the playoffs. In 1969–70, however, he had a dispute with general manager Sam Pollock over being demoted to the minors, and head coach Claude Ruel's decision to favor Rogatien Vachon made Worsley quit in the middle of the season. Pollock suggested Worsley accept a two-week conditioning stint to work his way back to the Canadiens, but the veteran netminder refused. Worsley was suspended for not reporting to the Canadiens' Montreal Voyageurs farm team and told Pollock he intended to retire.

Later in the season, however, the Minnesota North Stars expressed interest in Worsley, and the Canadiens traded him for future considerations. He starred with Minnesota for most of the following five years; his best season with the team was 1972, when he came second in the league with a 2.12 goals-against average and was named to play in the 25th National Hockey League All-Star Game. He retired after the 1973–74 season at the age of 44. Worsley was the second goaltender to win 300 games and lose 300 games, after Harry Lumley.

Worsley was known for his wry sense of humour and various eccentricities. Early in his career with the lacklustre Rangers, regularly facing 40 to 50 shots a night, he was asked: "Which team gives you the most trouble?" His reply: "The New York Rangers." Accused by Rangers' coach Phil Watson of having a beer belly, he replied, "Just goes to show you what he knows. I only drink Johnnie Walker Red."

Worsley refused to wear a mask long after almost all other goaltenders adopted one. He was the second-to-last professional hockey goaltender to play without a mask; Andy Brown of the WHA's Indianapolis Racers was the last. Worsley finally put one on in the last six games of his career. Asked why he never wore a mask, Worsley told reporters: "My face ''is'' my mask."

Worsley was also well known for his fear of flying. On November 25, 1968, en route to Los Angeles, he suffered a nervous breakdown after a rough flight from Montreal's Dorval Airport to Chicago. It has been reported that a stewardess upon landing came over the PA system and said that if passengers wished to claim refunds for drycleaning they should submit receipts. Worsley is reported to have quipped, "Does that include underwear?" Later, he received psychiatric treatment and missed action. It is said upon emerging from retirement to play for the North Stars he was assured, as Minnesota was in the middle of the continent, the team travelled less than any other in the league.

Soccer career

Worsley was an excellent soccer player, beginning his career as a junior with Westmount. In 1948 he was a member of the Montreal youth all-star team. As a promising young player, he soon attracted attention; the following year he moved up to McMasterville in the Montreal League. There he was selected to play in a trial game from which the Montreal all-stars were chosen to play the touring English club Fulham FC on 29th May 1951 (the game was drawn 2-2).

In the summer of 1952, while a member of the Saskatoon Quakers, he played centre forward for the Saskatoon All-stars against the touring Tottenham Hotspur football club from England. In 1953, he joined Montréal Hakoah FC and helped his new club to the Canadian final, but they lost the three-game series to the Westminster Royals. In 1954, he played with Montreal Vickers. His father was also an outstanding soccer player and won a Canadian championship medal with Montreal Grand Trunk in 1919.

Injuries

Worsley suffered many injuries during his career. While with Vancouver of the WHL, he sustained a back injury that nearly ended his career when Gus Kyle hit him from behind. He also suffered a knee problem in the 1956 playoffs that required surgery; a severed tendon in 1960; a blistering shot from Bobby Hull that hit him in the forehead in 1961; a pulled hamstring that same year; another pulled hamstring in 1963–64; knee surgery in 1966; a sprained knee, then a concussion from a hard-boiled egg thrown by a New York fan; a broken finger in the 1969 playoffs; a pulled hamstring in 1972–73 that forced his temporary retirement. The blast to the forehead from Bobby Hull knocked him unconscious and sent him to Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital. Upon awakening, asked how he was feeling, Gump replied: "Good thing the puck hit me flat!"

Retirement and death

At the time of his retirement, Worsley had played more games than any goalie except Terry Sawchuk and Glenn Hall. He retired with a record of 335 wins, 352 losses and 150 ties, 43 shutouts, and a goals-against average of 2.91.

Worsley suffered a heart attack on January 22, 2007, and died at Hôpital Honoré-Mercier in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec on January 26, 2007. He was survived by his wife, Doreen Chapman and his children Lorne, Dean, Drew, and Lianne.

Legacy

Two Canadian indie rock bands recorded tributes to Worsley — Huevos Rancheros released "Gump Worsley's Lament" and The Weakerthans released "Elegy for Gump Worsley". Canadian band Sons of Freedom named their second album ''Gump'' after Worsley. In the TV series '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' a property management company is named "Gump and Worsley."

Career achievements and facts

* Won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1953.
* Stanley Cup champion in 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969.
* Won the Vezina Trophy in 1966 and 1968.
* Named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1968.
* Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1966.
* Played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1961, 1962, 1965, and 1972.
* 5th most career losses, 13th in all-time games played, 28th in career wins and 43rd in shutouts.
* Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980.
* The last goaltender to play in the NHL without a face mask, doing so until his last six games. ( Andy Brown continued to play without one in the WHA for some time thereafter.)
* Was affectionately known to Minnesota North Stars fans as "the Gumper".
* The term "stacking the Gumpers," denoting the way a goaltender makes a save by lying on his side and making a "wall" out of his leg pads or "Gumpers," originated with Worsley.
* In the 2009 book ''100 Ranger Greats'', he was ranked No. 17 of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

*''They Call Me Gump'' by Lorne "Gump" Worsley with Tim Moriarty
*''The Trail of the Stanley Cup'', Volume 3 by Charles L. Coleman
*''The Complete Encyclopedia of Hockey'' edited by Zander Hollander

External links

*
Subject of The Weakerthans song, Elegy for Gump Worsley

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worsley, Gump
1929 births
2007 deaths
20th-century Canadian sportsmen
Anglophone Quebec people
Calder Trophy winners
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Canadian ice hockey coaches
Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
Edmonton Flyers (WHL) players
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Ice hockey people from Montreal
Minnesota North Stars coaches
Minnesota North Stars players
Minnesota North Stars scouts
Montreal Canadiens players
New Haven Ramblers players
New York Rangers players
People from Beloeil, Quebec
Providence Reds players
Quebec Aces (AHL) players
Saskatoon Quakers players
Springfield Indians players
Stanley Cup champions
Vancouver Canucks (WHL) players
Vezina Trophy winners