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Hall of Famers

Hall of Famer

FRANK NIGHBOR

Inducted in 1975

Member Details

Date of Birth: January 26, 1893
Place of Birth: Pembroke, Ontario
Date of Passing: April 13, 1966
Sport: Ice Hockey
Member Category: Athlete

Career Highlights

1915

Stanley Cup - Vancouver Millionaires

1916-30

Member of Ottawa Senators (four Stanley Cups)

1923-24

Hart Trophy

1924-25

Lady Byng Trophy

1947

Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame

Hall of Famer FRANK NIGHBOR
Sport

Story

Nicknamed the "Pembroke Peach" because he was such a quality player, Frank Nighbor had a fine pre-NHL career before beginning a lengthy career in the world's top league. Harry Cameron, a star in his own right, championed Nighbor's skill but soon enough Nighbor was making his own mark through sensational play. He joined the Toronto Blueshirts in 1912 in the NHA and then moved west for two years, lured by the Patricks to play in the PCHA. He led the Millionaires to a Stanley Cup in 1915 and then returned near home, signing with the Ottawa Senators that summer. It was with the Sens that Nighbor spent the next 15 years. During those two seasons out west, Nighbor developed into a bona fide scoring star, and when the team joined the new NHL in 1917, he was ready to take on the best of the best. Over his first 75 games and four years, Nighbor scored 75 goals, a goal-a-game pace that was a remarkable accomplishment in a defensive era of the game. The Senators won the Cup in 1920 and 1921, and again two more times, in '23 and '27. In 1923-24, Nighbor was the inaugural winner of the Hart Trophy as the league's best player, and a year later he claimed another new trophy, the Lady Byng (which he won the next year as well). In addition to his scoring skills as a centreman, Nighbor was also the master of the sweep check, a move which literally took the puck off an opponent's stick without him being aware of it. Today, it is a common check; back then, it was pioneering for its effectiveness. In 1947, Nighbor was among a select group of inaugural members inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.