gold star for USAHOF

1950 Hockey Inductees

Overall, the 1950 Hockey Hall of Fame Class seemed to address players who may have been forgotten in the previous two. Seemingly headlined by Newsy Lalonde and Joe Malone, the overall class of nine may not be the most star driven, but does contain a complete class of worthy inductees.
Like his brother Lester, Frank Patrick was a decent player who became more famous in hockey for his off ice contributions than what he did on it. Along with his brother, he founded the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (later renamed the Western Canada Hockey League) and it was many of his initiatives while there that shaped the game as we know it today.
A star with Queen’s University, George Richardson would later lead the 14th Regiment of Kingston hockey squad to three consecutive OHA finals. A good scorer and gentlemanly player, Richardson was one of the good guys of the early game. Richardson would perish in World War I serving the Canadian Armed Forces.
A top player in the 1890’s, Graham Drinkwater was one of the top players in the game’s beginnings. Drinkwater scored thirty goals in thirty one regular season games for the Montreal Victorias and helped them to win three Stanley Cups making the Victorias one of the first real hockey dynasties.
Harry Trihey was a star forward for the Montreal Shamrocks at the turn of the century at a time when they dominated the Stanley Cup. Trihey’s biggest contribution to the sport of Hockey was getting his defencemen to rush the puck instead of simply shooting the puck in the air automatically. His strategic innovations alone make him Hall of Fame material.
A goal scoring machine (his 44 goals in 20 games remains the highest GPG average ever), Joe Malone would twice lead the National Hockey League in goals and points. As part of the powerful line with Newsy Lalonde and Didier Pitre, Malone was the goal scorer of the first great line of the National Hockey League. Overall, Malone would average well over a goal a game…
The captain of the first real dynasty in organized hockey, Mike Grant led his Montreal Victorias a multitude of Stanley Cup victories. A defenceman with very good offensive skills, Grant was also a great ambassador for the game as he organized exhibition games in the United States spreading the sport there. Grant remains the youngest captain to ever hoist the Stanley Cup.
Arguably the first megastar of the legendary Montreal Canadians franchise, Newsy Lalonde scored their first goal and was the captain of their first (of many) Stanley Cup wins. Lalonde was a scoring machine netting 150 goals in just over 100 games in the old NHA and was a seven time scoring champion in multiple leagues. Newsy (cool name isn’t it?) Lalonde is a solid selection to…
Considered one of best wingers in the early days of Hockey, Scotty Davidson was a star in the NHA, captaining the Toronto Blue Shirts to a Stanley Cup win in 1914. Davidson was a good goal scorer for Toronto with 42 goals in 40 games. The 23 year old Davidson enlisted into the Canadian Army and was killed shortly thereafter ending what should have been a…
A gifted skater, Si Griffis transcended effortlessly from the seven man to six man game. Initially a Rover, Griffis moved to Defence and was among the best in his day. The American born (yet Canadian raised) player first became a star in Northwest Ontario leading the Rat Portage (later Kenora) Thistles to prominence leading them to Stanley Cup in 1907. Later, he would ply his trade…