Gump Worsley

Lorne John " Gump " Worsley ( born May 14, 1929 in Montréal, Québec, † January 26, 2007 in Saint- Hyacinthe, Quebec ) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota North Stars was active. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980.

• 2.1 Personal and Awards

Career

Lorne John Worsley, the only " Gump " Worsley was named based on a cartoon character all his life, began in 1946 in a junior league of the Canadian province of Quebec his career as a professional ice hockey goaltender. After he had played as an adult in different leagues and has won several awards, participated in the New York Rangers from the NHL in 1952 under contract. He sat down immediately in the season 1952/53, against Chuck Rayner as goalkeeper of the team through. At the end of the season he was named the best rookie with the Calder Memorial Trophy.

But the following season he played exclusively in the unterklassigen Western Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks, the only years later a member of the NHL were after he had asked the general manager of the Rangers for a raise of $ 500. Worsley was honored after the season as MVP of the Western Hockey League.

He made it a return to the NHL and played nine more years for the Rangers. But despite his good performances jumped out no notable success for the team.

In 1963 he was transferred to three other players for Jacques Plante and Phil Goyette to the Montreal Canadiens. There, however, he found himself the first two years with the Quebec Aces in the AHL again and seldom came for the Canadiens used. But again he was able to perform very well convince the farm team and managed the 1965/66 season finally make the leap to the post of master goalkeeper. With the fewest goals against all goalkeepers in the regular season, for which he won the Vezina Trophy, he led the Canadiens through the playoffs the way to winning the Stanley Cup. It was already Worsleys second, because he was able to celebrate this success as a substitute goalkeeper in the previous year.

1966/67, he missed a long time, because he had to undergo knee surgery. However, in the 1967/68 season, he could shine again with his performances and once again received the Vezina Trophy as the Canadiens had conceded the fewest goals. The Canadiens brought back the Stanley Cup and repeated the success the following year.

But the success of pressure associated with the Stanley Cup victories became a burden to Worsley. Added to this was that much younger goalkeepers were added to the team that ousted him by and by. On 28 November 1969, he decided to end his career.

Nevertheless, the Minnesota North Stars secured in a transfer end of February 1970, the rights to Worsley, and he returned a short time later back in the NHL. The now 40 -year-old Worsley formed together with Cesare Maniago, the keeper of the North Stars team. Together with Maniago he kept until 1974 the gate, before he announced final end of his career.

A major problem during his career was his extreme fear of flying. When he had the late forties played for the New York Rovers and he sat with the team on the way to an away game in an airplane, an engine caught fire, and it had to be made an emergency landing. In 1968/69 he suffered after a turbulent flight a nervous breakdown and had to undergo medical assistance. The many air travel should have been one reason for his resignation at the Montreal Canadiens. The Minnesota North Stars, however, had not so often travel by plane, what very Worsley came to meet.

Worsley was next to Andy Brown and Joe Daley, the last in the NHL goalkeeper, who played even without a goalkeeper mask. Only in the last six games of his career he wore a. After also Daley, who had since moved to the WHA, used a mask, they left Brown as last keeper without alone. However, Worsley was 1969, the last keeper without a mask, who could win the Stanley Cup.

He was also known for his sense of humor. At the beginning of his career with the New York Rangers, who were more likely than bad team at the time, he was in almost every game 40 to 50 shots on goal. After such a game, he was once asked which team brought him the most problems. His answer was: " The New York Rangers. "

Gump Worsley in 1980 was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

On 27 January 2007 Worsley died of a heart attack he had suffered a few days earlier.

NHL stats

Sporting successes

• Stanley Cup: 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969

Personal and Awards

• Calder Memorial Trophy: 1953
• NHL First All-Star Team: 1968
• NHL Second All-Star Team: 1966
• Vezina Trophy: 1966 and 1968 (along with Charlie Hodge and Rogatien Vachon )
• Participate in the NHL All-Star Game: 1961, 1962, 1965 and 1972