Dit Clapper | |
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Position | Defenceman |
Shot | Right |
Height Weight |
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) |
Teams | Boston Bruins |
Nationality | ![]() |
Born | February 9, 1907 Newmarket, ON, CA | ,
Died | January 20 1978 (aged 70), Newmarket, ON, CA |
Pro Career | 1927 – 1947 |
Hall of Fame, 1947 |
Aubrey Victor "Dit" Clapper (February 9, 1907 in Newmarket, Ontario – January 20, 1978 in Newmarket, Ontario) was a Canadian Hall of Fame 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.
Career[edit | edit source]
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 defenceman.
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. 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 captain for longer than any NHL player until Ray Bourque and Steve Yzerman.

Bill Cowley scores assisted by Clapper, Game 1 of the 1939 Semi-finals, March 21, 1939.
Coaching[edit | edit source]
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.
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Retired NHL defenceman Greg Theberge is Dit's grandson.
- Clapper died of complications from a stroke January 20, 1978.
- In 1998, he was ranked number 41 on List of 100 greatest hockey players by The Hockey News.
- Although Clapper is famous for wearing #5, which the Bruins retired, he wore #12 for his first two seasons in Boston.
Awards[edit | edit source]
- Stanley Cup Champion (1929, 1939, 1941)
- 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
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Add a photo to this gallery
External Links[edit | edit source]
Preceded by George Owen |
Boston Bruins Captains 1932-33 |
Succeeded by Marty Barry |
Preceded by Cooney Weiland |
Boston Bruins Captains 1939-44 |
Succeeded by Bill Cowley |
Preceded by Art Ross |
Head Coaches of the Boston Bruins 1945-49 |
Succeeded by George Boucher |
Boston Bruins Head Coaches | |
---|---|
Ross • Denneny • Ross • F. Patrick • Ross • Weiland • Ross • Clapper • Boucher • L. Patrick • Schmidt • Watson • Schmidt • Sinden • Johnson • Guidolin • Cherry • Creighton • Sinden • Cheevers • Sinden • Goring • O'Reilly • Milbury • Bowness • Sutter • Kasper • Burns • Keenan • Ftorek • O'Connell • Sullivan • Lewis • Julien • Cassidy |
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Dit Clapper. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA). |
- Born in 1907
- Dead in 1978
- Boston Bruins coaches
- Boston Bruins players
- Boston Tigers (CAHL) players
- Canada's Sports Hall of Fame inductees
- Canadian ice hockey coaches
- Canadian ice hockey players
- Hockey Hall of Fame
- National Hockey League players with retired numbers
- Stanley Cup champions
- Retired in 1947