Roy Worters
In the history of the NHL, no one was shorter than Roy Worters. Standing at five foot three, he earned the nickname of Shrimp but that didn’t stop him from becoming a Hall of Fame goalie during his career.
This is his story.
Roy Worters was born on Oct. 19, 1900 in Toronto.
Worters started his move to the professional ranks when he played junior hockey with the Toronto Canoe Club Paddlers.
In 1920, the team was stacked. Not only did they have Worters in net, but upfront there were future Hockey Hall of Famers Lionel Conacher and Billy Burch. The team were the champions of the Ontario Hockey Association and then won the eastern Canadian championship in a one-game playoff against Loyola College by a score of 16-4.
In the Memorial Cup, Toronto won the first game 10-1 and the second game 5-4, giving Worters the first championship of his career.
Through the next few seasons, Worters moved around the amateur leagues. From 1923 to 1925, he was a star in net for the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets of the United States Amateur Hockey Association. In both seasons with the team, he led them to a championship.
With the team doing well, both on the ice and financially, the decision was made to bring a new team into the NHL, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The team joined the NHL in 1925-26, and Worters came to the league with them.
Unfortunately, the team was not very good and posted losing records in all five seasons they were part of the NHL. The Pirates made the playoffs only twice in those five seasons, losing in the semifinals both times.
During his time with the team, Worters did his best to keep the team in games.
In the Pirates’ first season, he once stopped 70 of 73 shots, setting an NHL record, in a 3-1 loss to the New York Americans.
In 1925-26, he played in 35 of the team’s 36 games, winning 18 times and posting a 1.90 goals-against average. He also registered seven shutouts. That average put him second in the league.
The following season, he played in all 44 games for the team, winning 15 times and recorded four shutouts with a 2.39 goals-against average. That season, the average placed him ninth in the league.
In 1927-28, he once again played in every game for the team, recording 19 wins, 11 shutouts and a stellar 1.66 goals-against average. That average was fourth best in the league.
Since he was keeping the team in most games, Worters asked for a raise and demanded $8,000 per year.
The club refused to pay, and he refused to play.
He was initially suspended before he was traded to the New York Americans.
With a better team, Worters proved just how good of a goalie he could be. The Americans finished second in the Canadian Division, don’t ask why they were there, with 19 wins and 13 losses. Worters played in 38 games that season, recording 16 wins, 13 shutouts and an unbelievable 1.15 goals against average.
His goals against average placed him third in the league behind Tiny Thompson and George Hainsworth, who had a record .92 average. While Hainsworth won the Vezina, Worters became the first goalie in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
With the New York Americans, the seasons were not always stellar.
In 1929-30, he had 11 wins in 36 games, followed by 18 wins in 44 games in 1930-31. That season, he won his only Vezina Trophy.
For one game that season, he also played for the Montreal Canadiens. When Montreal’s goalie George Hainsworth was ill, Worters was given special permission to play for the Canadiens against the Maple Leafs.
Sylvio Mantha, captain of the Canadiens, said,
“Roy was enthusiastic after the game. As I recall it, he had a shutout. I believe the score was 5-0. Anyway, we beat the Leafs.”
He recorded 12 wins in 1931-32 and 15 wins in 1932-33. During those seasons, the Americans never made the playoffs.
Despite the poor record, Worters was considered one of the best goalies in the league. His contract of $8,500 per season exemplified that as he was the highest paid goalie in the league during his career.
In 1931-32 and 1933-34, he was selected to the NHL Second All-Star Team.
After recording 12 wins in 1933-34 and 1934-35, he had an impressive 16 wins in 1935-36.
Worters closed out his career with the Americans in 1936-37 when he had just six wins in 23 games. His season came to an end on Jan. 5, 1937 when a pile of players hit him during a game, rupturing his appendix.
The Windsor Star wrote,
“Assisted to the dressing room after finishing out the game in obvious pain, the diminutive goalie was described by the club physician as suffering from a rupture.”
Over the next month, Worters received more than 300 letters from across Canada wishing him the best.
After recovering from his injury through the spring, he had to decide if he wanted to continue to play the following season.
On Oct. 8, 1937, he chose to retire. He said that he had no interest in coaching or refereeing, and wanted to retire so he could spend more time with his wife and daughter. The Toronto Star wrote,
“Both of them dislike seeing pucks shot at him and they are not particularly enamoured of Manhattan.”
His manager, Red Dutton, said,
“I still think he is good enough for the National Hockey League.”
Tommy Munns, in his Globe and Mail Scanning the Sport Field, said,
“He’s too good a net guardian, that midget, to be allowed to roam around loose while hockey games are being played.”
Due to playing for often terrible teams, his numbers are not as stellar as others from his era. That being said, his skill was shown in how often he kept his teams in the hunt for the playoffs.
In his career, he recorded 171 wins and 229 losses, but also registered 66 shutouts and had a very impressive 2.27 goals against average.
He only made the playoffs four times in his career, but still recorded three shutouts in 11 games with an excellent 2.09 goals against average.
After his career ended, Worters operated a successful hotel in Toronto with his family and former NHLer Charlie Conacher. He often played in oldtimer games to raise money for various charities.
Worters died of throat cancer on Nov. 7, 1957.
President Clarence Campbell stated,
“Apart from his prowess as a goalkeeper, he was a fine citizen and as such a credit to hockey. He was a fabulous performer considering his size. I don’t say there has been no one in hockey small but Roy Worters was a midget compared with goalies of today.”
Frank Selke said,
“Roy was one of the truly great goalies and a fellow who never lost interest in hockey as long as he lived.”
In his Toronto Star column, Speaking on Sport, Milt Dunnell said,
“Worters never permitted his size or lack of it to prevent him from playing the net like the best in the business.”
In 1969, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Hal Walker of the Calgary Herald said,
“I got a nostalgic feeling of delight when the word came through that Roy Worters, the smallest goaltender to ever play in the National Hockey League, had finally been named to the Hall of Fame…He was the possessor of the most infectious laugh and had a delightful puckish, if you’ll excuse the expression, humour.”
In 2018, The Hockey News ranked Worters as the 23rd greatest goaltender in NHL history.
