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 His staunch belief that the sport should remain amateur may seem outdated now, but it did allow for the creation of the best early leagues in the sport.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.

The first President of the National Hockey League, Frank Calder navigated through the troubled times of the league’s early days and was one of the game’s first true visionaries. It was not easy, as he faced two World Wars, the Great Depression and of course NHL owners! Calder’s love of the game and dedication to it is honored annually with the awarding of the Calder Trophy given to NHL’s top Rookie.