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| Position | Defence Right wing |
| Shot | Right |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) |
| Pro clubs | Boston Bruins |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | February 9, 1907, Newmarket, ON, CAN |
| Died | January 20, 1978 (aged 70), Newmarket, ON, CAN |
| Pro career | 1927 – 1947 |
| Hall of Fame, 1947 | |
Aubrey Victor "Dit" Clapper (February 9, 1907 in Newmarket, Ontario – January 20, 1978[1] in Newmarket, Ontario) was a Canadian Hall of Fame ice hockey player.
Clapper was given the nickname "Dit" at an early age when he would lisp his name "Vic." It came out "Dit." The name stuck.
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Athletic career
As a member of the Boston Bruins, he became the first player to play in the National Hockey League for twenty seasons. He was a great player both as a forward and defenceman, being named to All-Star squads at both right wing and on defence.
A lifelong member of the Bruins, in 1947 the team retired his number 5 sweater and the Hall of Fame selection committee waived the customary three-year waiting period, and immediately inducted him into the Hockey Hall of Fame upon the night of his retirement. He was the only active player to be inducted into the Hall.[2] His used jersey from that night's game was donated to the Hall of Fame by Clapper himself during an on-ice presentation that night announcing his retirement and induction into the Hall. The jersey is currently on display in the International Hockey Hall of Fame's museum in Kingston, Ontario. Until he was named as coach, he had served as team captain for longer than any NHL player until Ray Bourque and Steve Yzerman.
Coaching
Clapper coached the Bruins for two seasons as a player-coach and for two more seasons after his retirement. He became the first player in NHL history to play for 20 seasons, and the last active player that played during the 1920s.
He is mentioned in the hockey cult movie Slap Shot with Toe Blake, and Eddie Shore as prime examples of old time hockey - the way hockey is supposed to be played.
Retired NHL defenceman Greg Theberge is Dit's grandson.
Clapper died of complications from a stroke January 20, 1978. He is buried in Trent Valley Cemetery, Hastings, Ontario.
In 1998, he was ranked number 41 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
Awards
- Stanley Cup Champion (1929 as the player-coach, 1939, 1941 as a player)
- First All-Star Team: (1939, 1940, 1941)
- Second All-Star Team: (1944) as a defenceman.
- Second All-Star Team: (1931, 1935) as a right wing.
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 | ||||
References
- ^ Stan Fischler, Shirley Fischler, Who's Who in Hockey, p 69, 2003, Andrews McMeel Publishing
- ^ Hockey’s Book of Firsts, p.25, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
External links
- Freeman, Bill. "NHL legend lives on in Hastings" (newspaper article), Shieldmedia, February 16, 2007
- Dit Clapper's biography at Legends of Hockey
- Dit Clapper's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
| Preceded by George Owen |
Boston Bruins captains 1932-38 |
Succeeded by Cooney Weiland |
| Preceded by Cooney Weiland |
Boston Bruins captains 1939-46 |
Succeeded by John Crawford |
| Preceded by Art Ross |
Head Coaches of the Boston Bruins 1945-49 |
Succeeded by George Boucher |
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