The ultimate amateur athlete, Russell Bowie refused to change his beliefs despite the changing hockey world around him. A major star in the first decade of the 20th century, Bowie would refuse all overtures to take pay of any kind; despite the sport moving towards that direction. He was an incredible stickhandler who led his league in scoring five times and averaged two and a half goals per game throughout his career. Bowie may have been selected in the second Hall of Fame class, but easily belonged in the first one.

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 His staunch belief that the sport should remain amateur may seem outdated now, but it did allow for the creation of the best early leagues in the sport.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