Editing Dit Clapper (section)

==NHL career==
The Boston Bruins bought Clapper's contract from the Tigers in [[1927–28 NHL season|1927]]. Hitherto a defenceman, Bruins' coach [[Art Ross]] decided to try Clapper at right wing, and the experiment stuck.<ref name="HHOF">{{cite web |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p194701&type=Player&page=bio&list=ByName |title=Dit Clapper, Biography |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |access-date=5 April 2012}}</ref> He scored his first NHL goal—ten seconds into his first shift<ref name="Fischler">{{cite book |title=Hockey's 100 |last=Fischler |first=Stan |year=1984 |publisher=Beaufort Books, Inc. |location=New York |isbn=0-8253-0245-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hockeys100person00fisc/page/233 233] |url=https://archive.org/details/hockeys100person00fisc/page/233 }}</ref>—in the season opener against the [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks]].<ref name="McFarlane">{{cite book |title=The Bruins: Brian McFarlane's Original Six |last=McFarlane |first=Brian |year=1999 |publisher=Stoddard Publishing Ltd. |location=Toronto, ONT |isbn=0-7737-3189-X }}</ref>

[[1928–29 NHL season|The following season]], Ross teamed Clapper up with [[Cooney Weiland]] and [[Dutch Gainor]] to form the renowned [[List of ice hockey line nicknames|Dynamite Line]],<ref name="Coleman"/> one of the first named forward lines in history.<ref>{{cite book |title=Checking Back |last=Isaacs |first=Neil |year=1977 |publisher=George J. McLeod Ltd. |location=Toronto, ONT |isbn=0-393-08788-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/checkingbackhist00isaa/page/75 75] |url=https://archive.org/details/checkingbackhist00isaa/page/75 }}</ref>  The Bruins won the [[American Division (NHL)|American Division]] that season and went on to their first [[1929 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup championship]], with Clapper scoring the winning goal in the first game of their best-of-three series with the [[New York Rangers]].

In the [[1929–30 Boston Bruins season|1930 season]], the league considerably liberalized the passing rules, effectively eliminating offsides. The Stanley Cup champion Bruins took especial advantage, breaking many scoring records and recording the highest winning percentage the league would ever see, unsurpassed as of 2024.<ref name="NHLGuide">{{cite book |title=National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2005 |last=Diamond |first=Daniel |year=2004 |publisher=Dan Diamond & Associates, Inc. |isbn=1-57243-603-4 }}</ref> Leading the charge was the Dynamite Line, as Weiland led the league in scoring, Clapper finishing third and Gainor finishing ninth; Clapper's goal total of 41 was the third most in league history at that time.<ref name="Coleman2">{{cite book |title=Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol II |last=Coleman |first=Charles |year=1969 |publisher=Progressive Publications Ltd. |location=Sherbrooke, PQ |page=95 }}</ref> The Dynamite Line scored 102 of the Bruins' league record 179 goals, as many as last-place [[Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL)|Pittsburgh]] managed.<ref name="Coleman2"/>  While Clapper scored four goals in six playoff games, the Bruins were shocked in the [[1930 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup finals]] by the [[Montreal Canadiens]] in their best-of-three series.

Clapper married Lorraine Pratt of Vancouver in April 1931.<ref name="TVA">{{cite web |url=https://trentvalleyarchives.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/May2011.pdf|title=Mister Boston Bruin: the First. The Hastings Legend Part 5|last1=Barry |first1=Dave & Sharon |date=May 2011 |publisher= Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley Volume 16, number 1.|access-date=6 November 2018}}</ref>

While Clapper kept his production high in the [[1930–31 Boston Bruins season|1931 season]], Gainor's scoring fell off badly, and the Dynamite Line was broken up at season's end.<ref name="Coleman"/>  Clapper's 22 goals were good for eighth in the league, and he was named [[NHL All-Star team|Second team all-star]] at right wing at year's end, the first season such All-Stars were named.<ref name="Coleman"/>  The following year Clapper—with [[Bud Cook]] replacing the traded Gainor on his line with Weiland—was named team captain<ref name="HHOF"/> and again finished eighth in league scoring, but an injury-riddled Bruins' team fell into last place and out of the playoffs. While Weiland was dealt to [[Ottawa Senators (original)|Ottawa]] for the [[1932–33 Boston Bruins season|1933 season]], the Bruins purchased [[Montreal Maroons]] star [[Nels Stewart]] and paired him with Clapper to form a powerful offensive unit that led the Bruins back to a division championship.

The largest forward of his era at 6′2″ and 200&nbsp;lbs,<ref name="Coleman"/> Clapper was a notably peaceful player who nonetheless was involved in an unusual incident in the [[1936–37 NHL season|1937 Stanley Cup playoffs]] against the [[Montreal Maroons]]. Highsticking Maroon [[Dave Trottier]] twice in the head, referee [[Clarence Campbell]] (the future NHL president) called Clapper a profane name, and Clapper knocked the referee to the ice with a single punch.<ref name="McFarlane"/> Speculation was heavy that Clapper's punishment would be severe,<ref name="Coleman3"/> but Campbell himself pleaded Clapper's case, stating that he felt he had provoked the Bruin into the blow; Clapper received only a $100 fine for the incident.<ref name="HHOF2">{{cite web |url=http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_oneononep194701.shtml |title=One On One With Dit Clapper |date=7 May 2010 |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |access-date=5 April 2012 |archive-date=5 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305122327/http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_oneononep194701.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

By [[1937–38 Boston Bruins season|1938]], Ross believed the Bruins needed an overhaul, and as part of it asked Clapper to move back to defence.<ref name="HHOF"/> Paired with perennial superstar [[Eddie Shore]] on the backline, the move proved highly successful, and Clapper was named a First Team NHL All-Star on defence in 1939, 1940 and 1941, leading the Bruins to Stanley Cup victories in 1939 and 1941.<ref name="HHOF"/>

In February [[1941–42 Boston Bruins season|1942]], Clapper suffered a severed tendon in a collision with [[Toronto Maple Leafs|Toronto]] player [[Bingo Kampman]] and was done for the season.<ref name="Coleman3">{{cite book |title=Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol II |last=Coleman |first=Charles |year=1969 |publisher=Progressive Publications Ltd. |location=Sherbrooke, PQ |page=431 }}</ref> It was feared he would be forced into retirement, but he came back next year and returned to form.<ref name="HHOF"/> During the [[1943–44 Boston Bruins season|1944 season]], Clapper broke [[Hooley Smith]]'s career record for games played, holding the record until [[Maurice Richard]] surpassed him in 1957.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/leaders/games_played_progress.html |title=NHL Progressive Leaders for Games Played |publisher=hockey-reference.com |access-date=5 April 2012}}</ref>