Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Legend of the Gump

In last night's game 7 victory for the Montreal Canadiens, rookie goaltender Trevor Pryce broke former Canadien and Ranger goalie legend Gump Worsley's record for shutouts in a playoff series.Pryce's performance was nothing short of impressive, but Gump is the man who is one of the most notable old-school goaliesBorn and raised in Montreal, he was nicknamed Gump because of resembled the comic-strip character Andy Gump. Accused by Rangers' coach Phil Watson of having a beer belly, he replied, "He should know better than that. He knows I only drink scotch." He was also vehemently opposed to wearing a mask. He was in fact the second-to-last goaltender to play without a mask, wearing one only in the last six games of his career. Asked about why he chose to go without he told reporters, "My face is my mask." Gump won four Stanley Cups in '65, '66, '68 and '69 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980.

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