In the history of the NHL, 10 players have had the three year waiting period waived to enter the Hall of Fame.
These are players like Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau and Rocket Richard.
The last was Gretzky, but the first was a player many may not remember too well.
Dit Clapper.
The hockey great named Aubrey Victor Clapper began his journey to NHL stardom when he was born on Feb. 9, 1907 in Newmarket, Ontario.
His father Bill was a lacrosse player who worked in a factory, and when Dit Clapper was born he was given the name Aubrey.
The family moved to Hastings, Ontario following stops in Aurora and Oshawa.
Due to how he lisped his name Vic, he was given the nickname of Dit.
Clapper started his hockey career when he was 13 and began to play hockey in Oshawa.
A gifted hockey player, he played for the Toronto Parkdale Club in the Ontario Hockey Association in 1925. He helped the team reach the Memorial Cup that season, where they lost to Regina.
In 1926, Dit Clapper went professional when he signed with the Boston Tigers of the Canadian-American Hockey League.
With the Tigers, he registered seven points in 29 games with 57 penalty minutes.
This was enough for him to catch the eye of the Boston Bruins who bought his contract in 1927.
Throughout most of his hockey career, Clapper had been a defenceman but when he joined the Bruins, coach Art Ross moved him to right wing.
The move paid dividends almost immediately. Clapper scored his first goal 10 seconds into his first shift. That first season in the NHL, Clapper scored four goals and registered two assists in 42 games.
The next season, he was put on a line with Cooney Weiland and Dutch Gainor. The three men formed what became known as the Dynamite Line. One of the first named lines in hockey history.
With those three players on the ice together, the Bruins were able to win the American Division that season. This was also the first season that the Bruins played at Boston Garden.
Clapper recorded 11 points in 40 games that season. In the playoffs, Clapper helped the Bruins win their first Stanley Cup. His only point during the playoffs was a goal that won Boston the championship.
Everything changed for Dit Clapper in the 1929-30 season when the league opened its passing rules that greatly reduced offsides. The major rule change allowed forward passing in the offensive zone.
The Boston Bruins quickly took advantage of this. Players would go to the opposing net and wait for a pass. The rule was changed partway through the season to what would become the modern offside rule, but it changed the offense of the league forever.
The team won 38 games, a record at the time. They also set records for most home wins with 20, since surpassed. The team’s .875 winning percentage remains the highest winning percentage in NHL history.
As for Clapper, he had 61 points in 44 games, the second most on the team behind Cooney Weiland who had a then-record 73 points. Clapper’s 61 points was the third-most in NHL history to that point. He finished third in league scoring that season behind Weiland and Frank Boucher.
Overall, the Dynamite Line scored 102 of Boston’s 179 goals. That was more goals than the entire Pittsburgh Pirates recorded that season.
In the playoffs, Clapper scored four goals in six games but the Bruins lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final.
From this point, Clapper cemented himself as a superstar in the NHL.
While the Dynamite Line was broken up in the 1930-31 season, Clapper continued to do well. He recorded 30 points in 43 games, and his 22 goals was good for eighth in the league.
The following season, he was named captain and finished eighth in league scoring. The team itself did poorly, finishing in last place due to injuries from several important players.
Frank Boucher said of Clapper as a leader,
“He was the greatest ice general I ever saw. He has a highly developed power of leadership and the ability to inspire and preserve balance among his associates.”
The team rebounded in 1932-33 when Nels Stewart, a superstar from the Montreal Maroons, joined the team and was put on a line with Clapper. Clapper recorded 28 points in 48 games, and the Bruins won their division.
Over the next few seasons, Clapper continued to be a solid performer for the Bruins, recording good point totals from 1932-33 to 1936-37. He had over 20 points every season each season during that stretch, and hit 22 goals again in 1934-35.
Clapper was a large player for his era, standing at 6’2” and weighing 200 pounds. Despite his size, he did not take many penalties. In 1933-34, he recorded only six penalty minutes. The most he ever recorded was 50 in his third NHL season, 1930-31.
Frank Selke once said,
“Dit did not seek trouble. He was mostly a peacemaker during a turbulent period in the NHL. At 6 feet and 200 pounds, he could have bulled his way through the league.”
That being said, in the 1937 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the series against the Montreal Maroons, he was involved in a rare and violent altercation. At some point, Clarence Campbell, who was the referee for the game that would later become the President of the NHL, called Clapper a rude name. Clapper responded by punching Campbell and knocking him to the ice.
It was widely believed that Clapper would receive a harsh punishment but Campbell himself asked for leniency for Clapper. In the end, Clapper received a $100 fine.
Campbell said,
“I was talking loudly when I should have been throwing them into the penalty box.”
It is a sharp parallel to when Campbell was the president of the NHL and suspended Maurice Richard for the rest of the season and the playoffs in 1955 after he punched a referee.
In 1938, Clapper moved back to defence where he was paired with Eddie Shore. The two were a dominant defence pairing, and Clapper played some of his best hockey.
In 1938-39, he recorded 28 points, his highest total since 1934-35.
With Eddie Shore and Clapper leading the way, Boston defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1939 Stanley Cup Final.
Heading into the 1940s, Clapper continued to be consistent with his point total. Between 1940-41 and 1944-45, he recorded between 15 and 31 points.
On Jan. 8, 1941 at Maple Leaf Gardens, Clapper recorded his 200th career goal.
Teammate Tiny Thompson said of Clapper,
“Clapper diagnosed the plays like a great infielder in baseball. He put himself where the puck had to come.”
That season, he won his third Stanley Cup with the Bruins. No player on the Bruins has won more Stanley Cups with the team than Clapper.
From 1938-39 to 1940-41, he was a first-team All-Star three times and a Hart Trophy finalist twice. It is generally believed that if the Norris existed, he would have won it several times.
In February 1942, Clapper was injured in a collision with Toronto’s Bingo Kampman, resulting in a severed tendon. Out for the season, it was worried he would have to retire but Clapper came back and recorded 31 points in 50 games the following season.
In 1944, he passed Hooley Smith for most career games played, a record he would hold until 1957.
Age was starting to catch up with him though and in 1945-46, he recorded just five points in 30 games. It was by far his lowest point total in his entire career.
His last season was his 20th in the league. In 1946-47, he played just six games, recording no points.
At that point, he retired.
In 835 games, he recorded 229 goals and 477 points with 452 penalty minutes.
In his last years with the team, he was a player coach. In 1945-46, he led the Bruins as player-coach to the Stanley Cup Final where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens. After his retirement, he continued to coach the team until 1948-49. In 230 games as coach, the Bruins made the playoffs each season and he recorded 102 wins.
Following his retirement, the Bruins retired his #5 sweater. It was also announced that Clapper would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame immediately. At the time, he was the only living person in the Hall of Fame.
He was also the first player in NHL history to play 20 seasons.
In retirement, Clapper ran a plumbing firm and a sporting goods store in Peterborough. He was also the director of the Peterborough Petes.
In 1949, he ran for Parliament with the Liberals but lost by only 250 votes.
In 1973, Clapper suffered a stroke that confined him to a wheelchair.
Two years later, he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Later in life, he was critical of expansion in the NHL and the World Hockey Association. Clapper believed that these diluted the talent pool of the league.
On Jan. 20, 1978, Clapper died.
A road in Hastings, Ontario was named for him.
In 2024, to celebrate 100 years of Boston Bruins history, Clapper was named to the Boston Bruins All-Centennial Team.
