Gump Worsley, Out Cold

The Minnesota North Stars’ Gump Worsley is probably best remembered for being one of the last NHL goaltenders to play without a mask (this photo, taken after a puck-to-the-head knocked out the Gumper during a game in 1972, makes you wonder whether he ever reconsidered his aversion to cranial protection), but he was also known among sportswriters as a great interview. The December 21, 1970, edition of Sports Illustrated included the following classic Gump Worsley quote. When asked about a claim that he did most of his training in St. Paul bars, our mask-less hero of the nets responded, “That’s not true. I’ve switched to Minneapolis now.”