1965-66 Topps 2 Gump Worsley Hockey Card (Front)
1965-66 Topps 2 Gump Worsley Hockey Card (Back)
Card Notes
“Gump” shared hero honors with Jean Beliveau in last year’s Stanley Cup victory after starting season in Quebec. He’d been traded by New York to Montreal, June, 1963.
En Français
Il a partage les honneurs avec Jean Beliveau dans la victoire de la Coupe Stanley la saison derniere aprês avoir commence la saison à Quebec. Il fût échange de New-York a Montreal en juin 63.
Details
Gump Worsley didn’t really share in the honours with Jean Beliveau in the 1964-65 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was Beliveau alone that was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, the first time the award had ever been handed out.
In the 1964-65 post season, Montreal played 13 games with Worsley appearing in eight and Charlie Hodge playing five between the pipes. In the final series against the Chicago Blackhawks, Gump had two shutouts, including the deciding game seven. In that match, held at the Montreal Forum, Beliveau had the first and winning goal of the game while adding an assist in the 4-0 win. Bobby Rousseau is a bit of an unsung hero, assisting on three of the four goals.
On June 4, 1963, Gump was traded from the New York Rangers to the Montreal Canadiens with Dave Balon, Leon Rochefort and Len Ronson for Phil Goyette, Don Marshall and Jacques Plante. Despite being New York’s number one goalie for a decade, Worsley spent much of his first two years with the Habs down on the farm with the Quebec Aces in the American Hockey League.
Coming off that great Stanley Cup playoff, Worsley was raring to go in 1965-66 as Montreal’s number one. Playing 51 games for the Habs during the regular season, posting a 2.36 goals against average with two shutouts. In the playoffs, he played all ten games for the Canadiens as they again captured the championship, this time beating the Detroit Red Wings in the final.
Between 1952-53 and 1973-74, Lorne Worsley played in 861 regular season and 70 playoff games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Rangers and Canadiens, as well as the Minnesota North Stars. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980.