Roy Worters

Roy Thomas "Shrimp" Worters (October 19, 1900 November 7, 1957) was a Canadian professional Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Canadiens and New York Americans.

Worters recorded 66 shutouts in his career. At tall, he was the shortest player ever to play in the NHL.

Playing career Worters in promotional photo for Pittsburgh Pirates, c. 1925/1928 Worters played junior ice hockey in Toronto with the Toronto Canoe Club Paddlers, winning the 1920 Memorial Cup, the national junior championship. He then spent several years in amateur and senior leagues, including the 1923–24 and 1924–25 seasons as the star netminder for the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets of the United States Amateur Hockey Association, leading the Yellow Jackets to championships both seasons. Bolstered by the success, the expansion Pittsburgh Pirates joined the NHL the following season, with Worters in goal and substantially the same lineup as the Yellow Jackets. Worters proved an iron man, playing three seasons for the Pirates and in virtually all of their games, showing great skill while backstopping a weak defensive team; in the Pirates' first season, Worters stopped 70 of 73 shots (setting a then-NHL record) in a 3–1 loss to the Americans.

Worters refused to sign with the Pirates for the 1927–28 season, and was suspended briefly before being traded to the Americans, for whom he would spend the rest of his career (save for a single game on loan to the Canadiens in 1930). His first season with the Americans saw Worters becoming the first goaltender to win the Hart Memorial Trophy with a 1.15 goals against average as he led the Americans to second place in the Canadian Division, after the team finished in last place the year before.

During his time with the New York Americans, Worters had a corps of large defencemen in front of him, including Bullet Joe Simpson, "Red" Dutton, and Lionel Conacher. Coincidentally, Conacher grew up in the same Toronto neighbourhood as Worters. The Americans would make the playoffs only once more during Worters' career, although he would win the Vezina Trophy in 1930–31 as the league's best goaltender. During the ensuing contract negotiations following the season, Worters signed for $8,500 per season, an unprecedented sum for a goalie. He became the first goalie in NHL history to record back to back shutouts in his first two games for a new team.

While with the Americans, Worters was named team captain for the 1932–33 season.

In 1937, Worters needed hernia surgery and retired following the season. Roy Worters died of throat cancer on November 7, 1957. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969.

Awards and achievements Hart Memorial Trophy Winner in 1929 Selected to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1932, 1934 Vezina Trophy Winner in 1931 First NHL goalie to record back to back shutouts Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L T Min GA SO GAA GP W L T Min GA SO GAA 1918–19 Parkdale Canoe Club OHA-Jr 8 7 1 0 480 22 0 2.75 2 1 1 0 120 6 0 3.00 1919–20 Toronto Canoe Club OHA-Jr 3 3 0 0 180 14 0 4.67 7 7 0 0 420 25 0 3.57 1919–20 Toronto Canoe Club M-Cup — — — — — — — — 3 3 0 0 180 9 0 3.00 1920–21 Porcupine Gold Miners GBHL 10 7 2 1 630 27 0 2.57 2 0 2 0 120 10 0 5.00 1921–22 Porcupine Gold Miners GBHL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1922–23 Toronto Argonauts OHA Sr — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1923–24 Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets USAHA 20 15 5 0 1225 25 7 1.23 13 9 3 1 840 12 5 0.86 1924–25 Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets USAHA 39 25 10 4 1895 34 17 0.81 8 6 1 1 400 8 1 1.20 1925–26 Pittsburgh Pirates NHL 35 18 16 1 2145 68 7 1.90 2 0 1 1 120 6 0 3.00 1926–27 Pittsburgh Pirates NHL 44 15 26 3 2711 108 4 2.39 — — — — — — — — 1927–28 Pittsburgh Pirates NHL 44 19 17 8 2740 76 10 1.66 2 1 1 0 120 6 0 3.00 1928–29 New York Americans NHL 38 16 12 10 2390 46 13 1.15 2 0 1 1 150 1 1 0.40 1929–30 New York Americans NHL 36 11 21 4 2270 135 2 3.57 — — — — — — — — 1929–30 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 — — — — — — — — 1930–31 New York Americans NHL 44 18 16 10 2760 74 8 1.61 — — — — — — — — 1931–32 New York Americans NHL 40 12 20 8 2459 110 5 2.68 — — — — — — — — 1932–33 New York Americans NHL 47 15 22 10 2970 116 5 2.34 — — — — — — — — 1932–33 Quebec Castors Can-Am 1 0 1 0 60 3 0 3.00 — — — — — — — — 1933–34 New York Americans NHL 36 12 13 10 2240 75 4 2.01 — — — — — — — — 1934–35 New York Americans NHL 48 12 27 9 3000 142 3 2.84 — — — — — — — — 1935–36 New York Americans NHL 48 16 25 7 3000 122 3 2.44 5 2 3 0 300 11 2 2.20 1936–37 New York Americans NHL 23 6 14 3 1430 69 2 2.90 — — — — — — — — NHL totals 484 171 229 83 30,175 1143 66 2.27 11 3 6 2 690 24 3 2.09