Born in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, Lumley starred for several years with the Owen Sound Mercurys and later with the Owen Sound Orphans and then the Barrie Colts. He also played with the Indianapolis Capitals of the American Hockey League, a minor league team of the Detroit Red Wings. Lumley made his professional start in the National Hockey League, however, with the New York Rangers in the 1943–44 season, when he was loaned to the Rangers for a single game. He was the youngest goaltender to play in the NHL, as he was 17 years old.