His real name was Lorne Worsley, but everyone knew him as Gump, a nickname he said he picked up as a kid because his hair stuck up like comic book character Andy Gump.

A Montreal native, Worsley grew up a fan of goalie Dave Kerr, who began his NHL career with the Montreal Maroons and later helped the New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1940. When he made the Verdun Cyclones, a junior team sponsored by the Rangers, in 1946, Worsley began a long road that eventually led him to New York as well.

Although he didn't make his NHL debut with the Rangers until 1952-53, when he was 24 years old, Worsley won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie despite going 13-29 with eight ties and a 3.02 goals-against average. But wanting a $500 raise that the Rangers didn't want to give him, Worsley was sent to Vancouver of the Western Hockey League for the 1953-54 season and replaced by Johnny Bower.

It is the only time a Calder Trophy winner never played an NHL game the season after being honored.

However, after Worsley was named MVP of the WHL, he regained the Rangers' starting job in 1954-55. He spent most of the next nine seasons dealing with a barrage of shots, providing a bright spot for a team that made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in only four of those seasons.

When asked once which team gave him the most trouble, he deadpanned, "The Rangers."

Worsley's career did a 180-degree turnaround when he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on June 4, 1963. Though he bounced between the Canadiens and their American Hockey League team in Quebec for much of his first two seasons, Worsley became an integral part of Montreal's dynasty in the 1960s. The Canadiens won the Cup in 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969, with Worsley going 29-6 in the playoffs during those runs. His best showing came in 1968, when he was 11-0 with a 1.88 GAA and .930 save percentage.

Although Worsley had won the Vezina Trophy twice (1966, 1968) with the Canadiens to go along with the four Cup championships, he turned 40 by the time the 1969-70 season began, and Montreal was looking to get younger. Worsley also had a fear of flying and said he was retiring until being talked into returning by the Minnesota North Stars, where he split time with Cesare Maniago and was teammates with a number of former Canadiens.

He played in Minnesota as he had in Montreal and New York -- without a mask -- and excelled in his role, finishing third in the NHL with a 2.12 GAA in 1971-72. He began 1973-74 still without a mask, but agreed to wear one in the final six games of his career.

Worsley retired in 1974 with a record of 333-348 with 149 ties, a 2.87 GAA and 43 shutouts. He then worked for the North Stars as a scout and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• QJHL First All-Star Team (1949)
• EAHL First All-Star Team (1950)
• USHL First All-Star Team (1951)
• Outstanding Rookie Cup (USHL - Rookie of the Year) (1951)
• Charles Gardiner Memorial Trophy (USHL - Top Goaltender) (1951)
• PCHL Second All-Star Team (1952)
• WHL First All-Star Team (1954)
• Outstanding Goaltender Award (WHL - fewest goals against) (1954)
• Leader Cup (WHL - MVP) (1954)
• AHL First All-Star Team (1964)
• NHL Second All-Star Team (1966)
• NHL First All-Star Team (1968)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1961, 1962, 1965, 1972)
• Traded to Montreal by NY Rangers with Dave Balon, Leon Rochefort and Len Ronson for Jacques Plante, Don Marshall and Phil Goyette, June 4, 1963.
• Traded to Minnesota by Montreal for cash, February 27, 1970.