It's nearly impossible to find a reference to Lorne Worsley, without his nickname "Gump" attached to it. The nickname was bestowed on Worsley by one of his team mates who though he looked like the cartoon character by the same name, but there was nothing comical about Worsley's play. In the book, For the Love of Hockey, Gump says that he played for the love of the game and for the sweater he was wearing.

Gumps early hockey career saw him move around several leagues and several teams. During this time he led his league several times in minutes played, shutouts, and goals against percentages. It was only after 6 season in the minors that he was finally able to break into the NHL with the New York Rangers.

The 1952-53 season was when Worsley first played, posting a 13-29-8 record which was good enough to win him the Calder Cup. Despite this he was sent down to the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL where he rang up a league leading 39 wins and 2.40 GAA. Worsley had become, and still remains the only player to win the Calder Cup and not play a single NHL game in the following season. His success in Vancouver won him another shot with the Rangers for the 1954-55 season. For the next 8 seasons he toiled with the Rangers with little success. Gump's only claim to fame was that he led the league twice in games and minutes played.

In 1963 Worsley along with Dave Balon, Leon Rochefort and Len Ronson were traded to Montreal for Jacques Plante, Don Marshall and Phil Goyette. Going to Montreal added pressure to Worsley, because as he put it, "Montreal was used to winning." During his first season he injured his knee and had to spend a year with the Quebec Aces to recover and get his timing back. Something must have clicked because the following year Gump returned with a vengence. Not only did he help lead the Canadiens to 4 Stanley Cups in 6 years but he played above .500 for those 6 seasons.

It was in 1969 that Gump's fear of flying got the better of him. While he was in the minors, one of the planes he was on had its wing catch fire and the pilot had to make an emergency landing. With the newly expanded league in 1967, it meant more travel and Worsley was not prepared for it. So one day in Chicago's O'Hare airport he simply quit. Later that year, Minnesota's coach, Lou Nanne managed to convince Gump to come out of retirement, explaining that Minnesota was more central, and that the travel would not be as much of an issue. Gump signed with the North Stars for the next 4 seasons until his retirement at the end of the 1973-74 season. It is somewhat strange that throughout his career Gump never wore a mask, but put one on for the last 6 games of his career at the urging of his team mate Wren Blair.

Worsley was no stranger to awards, in fact a list of his awards is almost as long as this entire biography.

1949 - QJHL First All Star Team
1950 - EAHL First All Star Team
1951 - USHL First All Star Team
1951 - USHL Outstanding Rookie
1951 - Charles Gardiner Memorial Trophy - USHL Top Goalie
1952 - PCHL Second All Star Team
1953 - Calder Memorial Cup
1954 - WHL First All Star Team
1954 - WHL Leading Goaltender Award
1954 - WHL Leader Cup - MVP
1964 - AHL First All Star Team
1966 - NHL Second All Star Team
1966 - Vezina Trophy, shared with Charlie Hodge
1968 - NHL First All Star Team
1968 - Vezina Trophy, shared with Rogie Vachon
1961, 1962, 1965, and 1972 played in NHL All Star Games
1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969 won Stanley Cup.

After all of his accomplishments, the "Gumper" was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980. Reflecting back Gump says, "Being selected to the Hall of Fame is like winning the Stanley Cup all over again. It's a marvellous feeling to be a member, the icing on the cake of my career." (1)

1. Taken from, For the Love of the Game, Chris McDonell.