Dit Clapper : biography
Aubrey Victor "Dit" Clapper (February 9, 1907 in Newmarket, Ontario – January 21, 1978 in Peterborough, Ontario) was a Canadian Hall of Fame ice hockey player, playing his entire professional career for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League.
Clapper was the first NHL player to play twenty seasons, and one of only two to be an All-Star at both forward and defence. The right wing on the powerful "Dynamite Line"—one of the first forward combinations to receive a nickname in hockey history—along with linemates Cooney Weiland and Dutch Gainor, he contributed to the breaking of several scoring records in the 1930s. Towards the end of his career, he was named player-coach of the Bruins, and held the coaching position after his retirement as a player.
Achievements and facts
- Played on three Bruins Stanley Cup championship teams, (1929, 1939, 1941), the most of any Bruins’ player in history.
- NHL First All-Star Team: (1939, 1940, 1941)
- NHL Second All-Star Team: (1944) as a defenceman; (1931, 1935) as a right wing.
- Won the Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy as most outstanding Bruins player in home games in 1940 and 1941.
- The first player in NHL history to play for 20 seasons, and one of only nine (Alex Delvecchio, George Armstrong, Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau, Ken Daneyko, Nicklas Lidström, Stan Mikita and Steve Yzerman) to do so with the same team.
- The last active NHL player that played during the 1920s.
- At the time of his retirement, the NHL career leader in games played and seasons played.
- In 1998, Clapper was ranked number 41 on The Hockey News’ list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players of all time. "Clapper had a simple creed," wrote The Hockey News. "He fought his heart out, bounced players around and took the same kind of punishment he dished out. That’s what made him so popular with other players and fans throughout the NHL."
- Mentioned in the hockey cult movie Slap Shot with Toe Blake and Eddie Shore as prime examples of "old time hockey."
- Retired NHL defenceman Greg Theberge is Dit’s grandson.
- His game jersey from the night of his retirement is on display in the International Hockey Hall of Fame’s museum in Kingston, Ontario.
Career statistics
| | Regular season | | Playoffs | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
1926–27 | Boston Tigers | CAHL | 29 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — |
1927–28 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 31 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1928–29 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 40 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 48 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
1929–30 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 41 | 20 | 61 | 48 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
1930–31 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 43 | 22 | 8 | 30 | 50 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
1931–32 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — |
1932–33 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
1933–34 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
1934–35 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 21 | 16 | 37 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
1935–36 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
1936–37 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 17 | 8 | 25 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
1937–38 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 46 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
1938–39 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 42 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 22 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
1939–40 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
1940–41 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 24 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
1941–42 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 32 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — |
1942–43 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 38 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
1943–44 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 50 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — |
1944–45 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 46 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1945–46 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 30 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1946–47 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
NHL totals | 824 | 228 | 246 | 474 | 462 | 82 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 50 |