I got the three offensive stars of the early era (NHL): Denneny, Dye and Malone, and Sprague Cleghorn.
Denneny would have 1 Ross and 1 Richard (and 7 times top 3 in points), Dye 2 Ross and 3 Richard (and 1 retro Conn Smythe), Malone 2 Ross and 2 Richard and was considered the fastest skater of his era.
Cleghorn was not only a top defenseman offensively, but also one of the meanest, toughest and feared dman.
So many good choices though...
And who would they be?
Wow. We disagree with all of our picks. Here is my list:
1. Cyclone Taylor. The best player in PCHA history. Want historical significance? He's probably the first superstar in hockey history to create offense as a playmaker first, goalscorer second. The best playmaker of the early era, by far.
2. Newsy Lalonde. The best player in NHA history. Dominant goalscorer, playmaker, leader, and complete player. Peaked slightly sooner than Nighbor. Generally considered by history (and the HOH Top 100) to be one of the two defining players of the early era, along with Taylor. Historical significance? The key player as the Canadiens became famous as the "Flying Frenchmen."
3. Frank Nighbor. The best player on the NHL's first dynasty. The best playmaker and best defensive player in the world at the same time (something likely not done again until Bobby Clarke). He was considered the true superstar of Ottawa's dynasty over the likes of Cy Denneny. Owned Joe Malone head to head. See his profile for more details. The first player from the NHL's first dynasty inducted into the actual HHOF. Historical significance? The Lady Byng award was created to honor his clean but perfect style of play (and yes, it was an honor to win the award pre-expansion).
For the 4th player, I'm open to persuasion. Leaning towards Russel Bowie, as I feel a pre-WW1 guy should be among the first 4 inductees and he seems like the best of the bunch.
I really there are no defensemen or goaltenders listed, and I'm okay with that. In hockey's developmental years, all the very best players tended to be either centers or rovers.
For what it's worth, Babe Dye would not even be in my Top 10 of possible inductees.