Worsley was adamantly against wearing a mask. He was the second-to-last professional hockey goaltender to do so. Andy Brown of the Indianapolis Racers was the last, donning a mask throughout his final six games the following season. The mask he wore during that time was owned by the team and had "Brown" written on it in ink. When asked about the matter, Brown said, "I just liked the looks of it." He went on to say that while he did use a mask, it wasn't for cosmetic purposes alone. Gump Worsley was born on January 4th, 1919 in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. He attended Stanford University, where he played varsity baseball and hockey. After graduating from Stanford in 1946, Worsley joined the United States Army where he served as a captain in the 67th Infantry Division. Upon leaving the army, he settled in Indianapolis where he began his career as a goalie with the Indianapolis Capitals of the American Hockey League (AHL). In 1949, he moved to the Rochester Americans of the AHL, where he stayed for three seasons. In 1952, Worsley made his way over to Europe where he played for the Oslo Ice Tigers in the Norwegian Hockey League for one season. When he returned home, he joined the Baltimore Clippers of the AHL where he stayed for two more seasons.