Playing Career
Frank first played professional for the Port Arthur Bearcats of the Northern Ontario Hockey League in 1911. Fellow Pembroke native Harry Cameron was invited to play for Port Arthur but refused to go without Nighbor. The club agreed to bring Nighbor along, but they left him on the bench until injuries gave him an opportunity to play. He made the most of his opportunity by registering six goals in his first appearance.
In 1912, he joined the new Toronto Blueshirts of the NHA where he scored 25 goals in 18 games. He only played the one season in Toronto, jumping to Vancouver of the PCHA the following season for two seasons, and was an important member of the Millionaires team which won the Stanley Cup over the Ottawa Senators in 1915.
He returned east after the Stanley Cup series and joined the Senators, whom he would play for until 1930, an important part of the dynasty of the 1920s winning 4 more cups in 1920, 1921, 1923, and 1927. He had his best season in 1916–17, scoring 41 goals in 19 games, finishing tied for the league lead with Joe Malone. In 1919–20 he would score 26 goals and 15 assists in just 23 games, then had a further 6 goals in 5 playoff games and led the Senators to their first Cup in the NHL. Frank would win the Stanley Cup again with Ottawa in 1921 1923 and 1927.
Late in the 1925 season, Lady Byng, wife of the Governor-General of Canada and an avid Senators fan, invited Nighbor to Rideau Hall after a game. She showed Nighbor an ornate trophy and asked him if he thought the NHL would accept it as an award for its most gentlemanly player. Nighbor said he thought it would be a good idea--and to his surprise, Lady Byng presented him the trophy on the spot, making him the first winner of the Lady Byng Trophy. A year earlier, he had been the first winner of the Hart Trophy.
In 1929–30, Frank would be traded to Toronto, as part of the fire sale of the failing Senators for Danny Cox and cash. He played 22 games for the Maple Leafs and retired in the off-season.
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