A tough and physical defenceman, Cleghorn had a reputation for violent play; he was twice charged with assault following on-ice incidents and was subject to efforts to have him banned from the NHL. His reputation made him an effective defender, and he used his offensive skill to become one of hockey\'s first offensive defencemen. At the time of his retirement, Cleghorn\'s 169 career goals were second most in professional hockey history by a defenceman, behind Cyclone Taylor\'s 181. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.\n', '

Cleghorn was born in the Westmount area of Montreal in 1890, to William John and Harriet Isabella (née Ogilvie) Cleghorn. He attended Westmount Academy and played on junior and amateur teams until 1909. In the 1909–10 season, he played for the New York Wanderers of the American Amateur Hockey League and scored seven goals in eight games from the center forward position. He was scouted by the Renfrew Creamery Kings of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and signed a contract, along with his brother Odie, to play with them for the 1910–11 NHA season. Sprague appeared in 12 games, scored five goals and registered 27 penalty minutes. During the season, he switched from winger to defence, as his coach, Alf Smith, felt his presence was better in that position. Cleghorn enjoyed rushing the puck forward and developed into an offensive defenceman. The Cleghorn brothers moved to the Montreal Wanderers in 1911–12, where they spent the next six seasons. With the Wanderers he established a reputation as a fierce competitor with an explosive temper. He was also an offensive leader for the Wanderers. Cleghorn frequently carried the puck the length of the ice surface to generate scoring chances: in one game in 1913 he scored five goals against the Toronto Ontarios, and during the 1914–15 season he led the NHA with 12 assists and also scored 21 goals. Cleghorn would often retaliate violently against opposing players he felt were taking liberties on his teammates, especially his brother Odie. Once, in 1912, he struck opponent Newsy Lalonde in the back of his head after the latter had cross-checked Odie. For this he was fined and suspended from the league. He also faced a charge of aggravated assault for which he paid a $50 fine. In a January 1917 game against the Toronto Blueshirts, Cleghorn collided with Ken Randall and crashed feet first into the boards. He sustained a broken ankle that ended his season. While recovering from his injury later in 1917, Cleghorn suffered another fall while walking an icy street in Montreal and fractured his other ankle. The injuries forced him to miss the entire 1917–18 season, and cast doubts on his future in hockey.\n', '

After the Montreal Arena burned down in 1918, Cleghorn\'s rights were claimed in a dispersion draft of the Wanderers team by Ottawa Senators general manager Tommy Gorman, who paid for Cleghorn\'s transportation to Ottawa. After recovering from his leg injury, he played for the Senators in 1918–19 and registered 13 points in 18 games. The next season, he played in a defensive pair with Eddie Gerard and scored 21 points in 21 regular season games and one point in five playoff games. That season the Senators defeated the Seattle Metropolitans to win the Stanley Cup. In an attempt at league parity, the NHL transferred him to the Hamilton Tigers in December 1920, but Cleghorn refused to report to the Tigers. The Senators asked that he be allowed to return to their team, for which George Kennedy, owner of the Montreal Canadiens, threatened to have Ottawa thrown out of the league. Cleghorn eventually signed with the Toronto St. Patricks, playing with them for the regular season in which the team won the NHL\'s second half championship. As the management became discontented with his play, he was eventually released from the club in March after the St. Pats lost the play-offs. He returned to Ottawa during their playoff series in time to be a member of the 1921 Stanley Cup-winning team. The league again attempted to transfer Cleghorn to Hamilton in 1921, but he again refused to report. Just before the start of the 1921–22 NHL season, Hamilton traded him to the Montreal Canadiens for Harry Mummery and Amos Arbour.\n', '

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