Foyston is one of 11 players who've won the Stanley Cup with three different teams. He was one of the greatest players in the 1910s and 1920s before finishing his career by playing two seasons with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings.

The native of Minesing, Ontario, made his professional debut with the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association, predecessor to the NHL, in 1912-13. He, Scotty Davidson and Jack Walker formed a line that helped Toronto win the NHA title in 1913-14 and defeat Victoria of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Final.

Foyston became a free agent after the 1914-15 season and signed with Seattle of the PCHA. He scored 36 goals in 24 games in 1916-17 and was a Stanley Cup champion again when Seattle became the first U.S.-based team to win the Cup, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 in the best-of-5 series. Foyston scored seven goals in the four games including a hat trick in Game 2.

After scoring 15 goals in 18 regular-season games, Foyston helped Seattle reach the Cup Final again in 1919. He scored nine goals in five games against the Canadiens before the series was canceled because of the influenza epidemic. Foyston had 26 goals in 1919-20, when Seattle returned to the Cup Final, then scored six times in the loss to the NHL's Ottawa Senators.

Foyston remained with Seattle until the franchise folded in 1924. He joined the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League for the 1924-25 season and became a three-time champion when his new team defeated the Canadiens 3-1 in the best-of-5 Cup Final. Victoria returned to the Final in 1926 but lost to the Montreal Maroons in four games.

When the WCHL ceased operations in 1926, the Victoria franchise was sold to the NHL's new Detroit team, which kept the nickname Cougars. Foyston had 24 points (17 goals, seven assists) in 64 games before retiring from the NHL following the 1927-28 season and had 242 regular-season goals in 16 seasons in the NHA, PCHA, WCHL and NHL.

Foyston retired permanently as a player after serving as player-coach of the Detroit team in the Canadian Professional Hockey League in 1929-30. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958 and died on Jan. 19, 1966 at the age of 74.