A very good player in his own right, Lester Patrick entered the Hockey Hall of Fame for a lot more than his prowess with a stick. Granted, he was a very good offensive minded defenseman, but may not have been good enough to become a Hall of Famer on his on ice skills alone. Along with his brother, he founded the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (later renamed the Western Canada Hockey League) and created a more wide open game.

John Ross Robertson was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame based on his work in organizing Amateur Hockey. His staunch belief that the sport should remain amateur may seem outdated now, but it did allow for the creation of the best early leagues in the sport. One can only imagine what he would have thought of labor issues with today’s game.

Likely not part of the first induction class due to hard work that he did to make a Hockey Hall of Fame happen in the first place (Seriously, without Sutherland this would have taken years longer), James T. Sutherland was part of the glut of builders who were part of the 1947 Class.

The answer to the trivia question, “Who was the first player to win the Hart Trophy”, Frank Nighbor was also the recipient of many other awards. He was also the first ever Lady Byng Trophy winner. In fact, it was his sportsmanship that inspired Lady Byng to donate the award in the first place. Had there been the Frank J. Selke award back then (for the top defensive forward) he might have won a boatload of those too. His mastery of the poke check and ability to counter attack made him one of the most dangerous players in the League. Nighbor also led the Ottawa Senators to three Stanley Cups. Seems like a no brainer to enter the Hall of Fame to us.