It is difficult to find someone who contributed to the growth of hockey in more ways than Ross, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1949.

An innovative, puck-moving defenseman, Ross scored a goal on opening night of the inaugural NHL season, helping the Montreal Wanderers defeat the Toronto Arenas 10-9 on Dec. 19, 2017. It was his only point in three NHL games. Ross, also the Wanderers coach that season, retired as a player after a fire Jan. 2, 1918, destroyed their home arena and the team disbanded.

Ross won the Stanley Cup twice years before the NHL existed: in 1907 with the Kenora Thistles of the Manitoba Hockey League, and in 1908 with the Wanderers, then part of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association. A skilled tactician, Ross devised a defensive strategy with three players aligned across the ice 30 feet in front of the goalie, a precursor to the neutral-zone trap.

Despite being one of the highest-paid players of his time, Ross was an outspoken leader when players sought a fair share of revenues with the National Hockey Association in the years before the league dissolved and the NHL was formed. Following his playing career, Ross was an NHL referee and then coach of the Hamilton Tigers in 1922-23. In his one season coaching the Tigers, Ross instituted off-ice workouts during training camp and the season, a novel approach.

Ross was always looking for ways to improve the game. He created B-shaped nets to better catch pucks, and the NHL used them from 1927-84, when a modified version was instituted. Ross also designed a synthetic-rubber puck with beveled edges so that it did not bounce as much as its predecessor. And, with New York Rangers coach Frank Boucher, Ross created the red line, which led to the rule disallowing two-line passes, resulting in more scoring chances.

He became coach and general manager of the Boston Bruins in 1924 and won the Stanley Cup three times with them: as coach and GM in 1929 and 1939, and as GM in 1941. Ross coached 802 regular-season games in the NHL with the Bruins, Tigers and Wanderers, going 394-313 with 95 ties, and coached 70 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

In 1947, he donated a trophy to the League to be awarded to the leading scorer in the regular season. It is known as the Art Ross Trophy.

Ross died Aug. 5, 1964, at the age of 79.