Gumper's Gone

One of my childhood sports heroes is gone. Gump Worsley has passed at the the age of 77:

MONTREAL -- Gump Worsley looked a bit out of place in goal during his 21-year NHL career - until they dropped the puck. Then, the roly-poly maskless man in the net was at his nimble best. Worsley, who died Friday at 77 after suffering a heart attack last Monday, used his 5-foot-7, 180-pound frame to forge a Hall of Fame career and help the Montreal Canadiens win four Stanley Cups in a five-year span.

Did you catch that, "Maskless Man". The guy was a goalie in the NHL and didn't wear a mask. I remember Gump, and watched him every chance I got. Hockey was relatively new to us, and he made it exciting.

Thanks, Gump, for making me the hockey fan that I am!

Flash