Another player who had a wait maybe a year longer than he should have, Cecil “Tiny” Thompson was a backstopping legend in the early days of the National Hockey League. Thompson was a workhorse who constantly won games for the Bruins and eventually helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1929. The workhorse was consistently the top netminder in multiple categories and in all likelihood should have been inducted in the class the year previously. Regardless, Thompson achieved the penultimate goal in Toronto and became a Hall of Famer; albeit later than he should have.

The only man who is on the Stanley Cup as a player, Coach and a General Manager, Jack Adams may have been inducted as a player in 1959, but if the Hall allowed for multiple inductions, Adams would have been enshrined as many times as he appears on the Cup.

Netting over twenty goals in seven National Hockey League seasons may not be the most impressive statistic, but in his era with the reduced games it certainly was! Cy Denneny was not just a goal scorer, but he was a certifiable winner. His name is engraved on the Stanley Cup four times, he was the NHL’s leading scorer once, and when he retired he was the leading points scorer in NHL history. The only curious question is why he had to wait for his induction, as he should have been inducted in an earlier class.

Sprague Cleghorn was not just a talented skill player with the puck; he was a feared defender who some called the dirtiest of his era. Regardless, of what label he had, he was a Hall of Famer in every capacity. The punishing Cleghorn was a vital part of two Stanley Cup wins for the Ottawa Senators and later two for the Canadians. Cleghorn was a rough player, but even from the defensive position was still a threat and posted 169 goals, which made him number two all time for blueliners when he retired.