Editing Dit Clapper

{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| halloffame = 1947
| image = Dit_Clapper_photo.png
| image_size = 230px
| birth_date = {{birth date|1907|2|9}}
| birth_place = [[Newmarket, Ontario]], Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1978|1|20|1907|2|9}}
| death_place = [[Peterborough, Ontario]], Canada
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 2
| weight_lb = 195
| position = [[Winger (ice hockey)|Right wing]]/[[Defenceman|Defence]]
| shoots = Right
| played_for = [[Boston Bruins]]
| career_start = 1927
| career_end = 1947
}}

'''Aubrey Victor "Dit" Clapper''' (February 9, 1907 – January 20, 1978) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] professional [[ice hockey]] player. Clapper played his entire professional career for the [[Boston Bruins]] of the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL). He was inducted into the [[Hockey Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] in 1947, the first Honoured Member to be living at the time of his induction.<ref name="lds">{{cite news |work=Lewiston Daily Sun |title=Pick Eddie Shore and Six Others To National Hockey Hall of Fame |page=9 |date=February 26, 1947 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CZ4gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Q2gFAAAAIBAJ&dq=russell%20bowie%20hall%20of%20fame&pg=3290%2C4344082 |access-date=February 7, 2012}}</ref>

Clapper was the first NHL player to play 20 seasons,<ref name="Coleman">{{cite book |title=Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol II |last=Coleman |first=Charles |year=1969 |publisher=Progressive Publications Ltd. |location=Sherbrooke, PQ |page=627 }}</ref> one of only two to be an All-Star at both forward and defence, and the first non-goaltender to play at the age of 40.<ref name="Greg">{{cite web|url=http://www.shieldmedia.ca/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=828&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1944&hn=shieldmedia&he=.ca |title=NHL legend lives on in Hastings |last1=Freeman |first1=Bill |date=16 February 2007 |publisher=The Shield Newspapers |access-date=5 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012114657/http://www.shieldmedia.ca/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=828&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1944&hn=shieldmedia&he=.ca |archive-date=October 12, 2007 }}</ref>  The [[Right wing (ice hockey)|right wing]] on the powerful "[[List of ice hockey line nicknames|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.

==Early years==
Aubrey Clapper, son of Bill Clapper, a lacrosse and factory labourer.<ref>https://trentvalleyarchives.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ISN-1206-May-2010-b.pdf</ref> He was raised in [[Hastings, Ontario]] after relocated several years to [[Aurora, Ontario]] (1915-1920) and [[Oshawa, Ontario]] (1920-1923).<ref name=Northwest>{{cite news|url=http://www.emcnorthwest.ca/20120112/news/Dit+Clapper+story+needs+to+be+told+says+local+writer|title=Dit Clapper story needs to be told says local writer|access-date=12 January 2012|work=Northwest EMC|first=Bill|last=Freeman|date=12 January 2012}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Clapper was given his nickname at an early age when he would lisp his name, the result coming out "Dit."<ref name="Pelletier">{{cite web |url=http://bruinslegends.blogspot.com/2007/03/dit-clapper.html |title=Dit Clapper |last1=Pelletier |first1=Joe |date=March 2007 |publisher=Greatest Hockey Legends.com |access-date=5 April 2012}}</ref>

Clapper was related to [[Ed Broadbent]], who’s grandmother was cousins with father Bill.
Clapper started his hockey career at age 13, playing minor hockey in [[Oshawa]],<ref name="DiaRom">{{cite book |title=Hockey Hall Of Fame: The Official History Of The Game And Its Greatest Stars |author=Dan Diamond |author2=Joseph Romain |year=1988 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |isbn=0-385-24830-X |page=70 }}</ref> and going on to play with the junior league [[Toronto Parkdale]] club of the [[Ontario Hockey Association]] in 1925, scoring a goal in the team's [[Memorial Cup]] run that season. The following season he turned professional, playing for the [[Boston Tigers (CAHL)|Boston Tigers]] of the [[Canadian-American Hockey League]].

==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>

==Player-coach==
During the [[1943–44 Boston Bruins season|1944 season]], Clapper filled in as interim coach when Art Ross took ill.<ref name="Vautour">{{cite book |title=The Bruins Book |last=Vautour |first=Kevin |year=1997 |publisher=ECW Press |location=Toronto |isbn=978-1-55022-334-7 |page=91 }}</ref>  In [[1945–46 Boston Bruins season|1945]] Ross retired as Bruins' coach, retaining his general manager's position, and named Clapper as player-coach, the only one in team history.<ref name="McFarlane"/>  Clapper retained his team captaincy until his retirement as a player in 1947, ultimately serving as [[Captain (ice hockey)|team captain]] for longer than any NHL player until [[Ray Bourque]] surpassed his total in the 1990s.<ref name="Vautour"/>

==Retirement and legacy==
[[File:Dit Clapper jersey at IHHOF.JPG|thumb|right|Clapper's #5 jersey on display at the [[International Hockey Hall of Fame]]]]
Hobbled by injuries and with his skills eroded, Clapper originally retired before the start of the [[1946–47 Boston Bruins season|1946–47 season]], but returned to play in November 1946 to replace the injured [[Jack Crawford (ice hockey)|Jack Crawford]] in the Bruins' lineup.<ref name="Coleman4">{{cite book |title=Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol III |last=Coleman |first=Charles |year=1976 |publisher=Progressive Publications Ltd. |location=Sherbrooke, PQ |page=25 }}</ref>  He played only sporadically thereafter, and retired for good on February 12, 1947. Leading the Bruins to a 10–1 victory over the [[New York Rangers]] in his final game (in which [[Bill Cowley]] broke the league career scoring record),<ref name="Coleman4"/> the Bruins further announced that day that his number #5 [[hockey jersey|sweater]] would be retired, and the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]] immediately inducted him as an Honoured Member.  Clapper was the only active player ever to be inducted into the Hall,<ref name="Duplacey">{{cite book |title=Hockey's Book of Firsts |last=Duplacey |first=James |publisher=JG Press |isbn=978-1-57215-037-9 |page=25 |date=February 2008 }}</ref> and at the time the only living Member inducted.<ref name="Coleman4"/>

Of his prowess, Bruins goaltending legend [[Tiny Thompson]] said: <blockquote>"Clapper diagnosed the plays like a great infielder in baseball. He put himself where the puck had to come."<ref name="Pelletier"/></blockquote>

Clapper coached the Bruins for two more seasons until, unhappy with the club's performance in the 1949 playoffs against Toronto and uneasy about coaching friends with whom he had played, he resigned.<ref name="Pelletier"/>  Save for a single season coaching the [[American Hockey League]]'s [[Buffalo Bisons (AHL)|Buffalo Bisons]] in 1960, in which the team recorded a 33-35-4 record and failed to make the playoffs, he did not again participate in professional hockey.

Clapper ran a plumbing firm and a sporting goods store in [[Peterborough]] in retirement, while serving as a director of the [[Peterborough Petes]] of the OHA.<ref name="HHOF2"/>  He briefly attempted a political career, standing as a [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] candidate for the [[Peterborough West]] riding in the [[1949 Canadian federal election|1949 federal election]], losing by fewer than 250 votes to incumbent [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] [[Gordon Fraser (Canadian politician)|Gordon Fraser]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Dit Clapper Candidate |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19490513&id=wx0vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mNwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4524,3432558 |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=May 13, 1949 |access-date=3 April 2012}}</ref>

Clapper died of complications from a 1973 stroke, which had left him confined to a wheelchair, on January 20, 1978.<ref name="Fischler1">{{cite book |title=Who's Who in Hockey |last1=Fischler |first1=Stan |last2=Fischler |first2=Shirley |year=2003 |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |page=69 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Dit Clapper Dead At 70 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CFc_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=m1IMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1098,2003149&dq=dit&hl=en |newspaper=Windsor Star |date=January 21, 1978 |access-date=3 April 2012}}</ref> He is buried in Trent Valley Cemetery in [[Hastings, Ontario]].

In [[1983–84 NHL season|1983]], the Bruins signed former [[Montreal Canadiens]] star [[Guy Lapointe]], Lapointe sought to wear his customary #5 jersey, which had been retired in Clapper's honour nearly forty years before.<ref name="McFarlane"/>  Team general manager [[Harry Sinden]] agreed to Lapointe's request, but under protests from Clapper's family, Bruins superstar [[Bobby Orr]] and the public, Lapointe was switched to #27 after a handful of games.<ref name="McFarlane"/>

On August 11, 2012, former Hockey Hall of Fame coach [[Scotty Bowman]], who was a young [[Peterborough Petes]] coach when Clapper served on the club's board of directors, paid tribute to Clapper. The occasion was the unveiling by Clapper's daughter, Marilyn Armstrong, of a new street sign named "Dit Clapper Drive" in [[Hastings, Ontario]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.emcquinte.ca/20120816/news/Hockey+hero+gets+his+day+in+Hastings|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116061646/http://www.emcquinte.ca/20120816/news/Hockey+hero+gets+his+day+in+Hastings|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 January 2013|title=Hockey hero gets his day in Hastings|newspaper=Northwest EMC|first=Bill|last=Freeman|date=16 August 2012|access-date=18 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.communitypress.ca/2012/08/16/hastings-honours-hockey-great-dit-clapper|title=Hastings honours hockey great Dit Clapper|newspaper=Community Press|first=Mark|last=Hoult|date=16 August 2012|access-date=18 August 2012|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073218/http://www.communitypress.ca/2012/08/16/hastings-honours-hockey-great-dit-clapper|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Achievements and facts==
*[[Stanley Cup]] winner in [[1929 Stanley Cup Finals|1929]], [[1939 Stanley Cup Finals|1939]], [[1941 Stanley Cup Finals|1941]], the most of any Bruins' player in history. <ref name="Northwest"/>
*[[NHL second All-Star team]]: [[1930–31 NHL season|1931]], [[1934–35 NHL season|1935]] as a right wing; [[1943–44 NHL season|1944]] as a defenceman
* [[NHL first All-Star team]]: [[1938–39 NHL season|1939]], [[1939–40 NHL season|1940]], [[1940–41 NHL season|1941]] all as a defenceman
* Won the [[Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy]] as most outstanding Bruins player in home games in [[1939–40 Boston Bruins season|1940]] and [[1940–41 Boston Bruins season|1941]].
* The first player in NHL history to play for 20 seasons, and one of only nine ([[Alex Delvecchio]], [[George Armstrong (ice hockey)|George Armstrong]], [[Henri Richard]], [[Jean Béliveau]], [[Ken Daneyko]], [[Nicklas Lidström]], [[Stan Mikita]] and [[Steve Yzerman]]) to do so with the same team.<ref name="Fischler"/>
* The last active NHL position player that played during the 1920s.
* At the time of his retirement, the NHL career leader in games played and seasons played.
* His #'''5''' [[Jersey number|Jersey]] was retired by the [[Boston Bruins]] on February 12, 1947.
* Inducted into the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]] in 1947.
* Inducted into [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1975.
* 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."''<ref name="HHOF2"/>
* Mentioned in the hockey [[cult film|cult movie]] ''[[Slap Shot (movie)|Slap Shot]]'' with [[Toe Blake]] and [[Eddie Shore]] as prime examples of "old time hockey."
* Former NHL defenceman [[Greg Theberge]] is Dit's grandson.<ref name="Greg"/>
* His game jersey from the night of his retirement is on display in the [[International Hockey Hall of Fame]]'s museum in [[Kingston, Ontario]].
* [[List of Boston Bruins award winners|Named One of the Top 100 Best Bruins Players of all Time]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-12 |title=Bruins Announce “Historic 100” Ahead of All-Centennial Team Reveal {{!}} Boston Bruins |url=https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bruins-announce-historic-100-ahead-of-all-centennial-team-reveal |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref>
* [[List of Boston Bruins award winners|Named to the Boston Bruins All-Centennial Team]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-13 |title=Bruins Announce All-Centennial Team {{!}} Boston Bruins |url=https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bruins-announce-all-centennial-team |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Career statistics==

===Regular season and playoffs===

* <small>'''Bold''' indicates led league</small>

{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! colspan="5" |[[Regular season]]
! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! colspan="5" |[[Playoffs]]
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! [[Season (sports)|Season]]
! Team
! League
! GP !! [[Goal (ice hockey)|G]] !! [[Assist (ice hockey)|A]] !! [[Point (ice hockey)|Pts]] !! [[Penalty (ice hockey)|PIM]]
! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM
|-
| 1925–26
| [[Toronto Parkdale]]
| [[Ontario Hockey Association|OHA-Jr.]]
| 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1925–26
| Toronto Parkdale
| [[Memorial Cup|M-Cup]]
| — || — || — || — || —
| 5 || 1 || 0 || 1 || —
|-
| [[1926–27 CAHL season|1926–27]]
| [[Boston Cubs|Boston Tigers]]
| [[Canadian-American Hockey League|Can-Am]]
| 29 || 6 || 1 || 7 || 57
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1927–28 NHL season|1927–28]]
| [[Boston Bruins]]
| [[National Hockey League|NHL]]
| 42 || 4 || 2 || 6 || 18
| 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2
|-
| [[1928–29 NHL season|1928–29]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 40 || 9 || 2 || 11 || 48
| 5 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1929–30 NHL season|1929–30]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 44 || 41 || 20 || 61 || 38
| 6 || '''4''' || 0 || 4 || 4
|-
| [[1930–31 NHL season|1930–31]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 43 || 22 || 8 || 30 || 50
| 5 || 2 || '''4''' || 6 || 4
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1931–32 NHL season|1931–32]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 48 || 17 || 22 || 39 || 23
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [[1932–33 NHL season|1932–33]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 48 || 14 || 14 || 28 || 42
| 5 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1933–34 NHL season|1933–34]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 48 || 10 || 12 || 22 || 6
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [[1934–35 NHL season|1934–35]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 48 || 22 || 16 || 38 || 21
| 3 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1935–36 NHL season|1935–36]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 44 || 12 || 13 || 25 || 14
| 2 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0
|-
| [[1936–37 NHL season|1936–37]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 48 || 17 || 8 || 25 || 25
| 3 || 2 || 0 || 2 || 5
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1937–38 NHL season|1937–38]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 46 || 6 || 9 || 15 || 24
| 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 12
|-
| [[1938–39 NHL season|1938–39]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 42 || 13 || 13 || 26 || 22
| 11 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 6
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1939–40 NHL season|1939–40]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 44 || 10 || 18 || 28 || 25
| 6 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 2
|-
| [[1940–41 NHL season|1940–41]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 48 || 8 || 18 || 26 || 24
| 11 || 0 || 5 || 5 || 4
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1941–42 NHL season|1941–42]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 32 || 3 || 12 || 15 || 31
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [[1942–43 NHL season|1942–43]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 38 || 5 || 18 || 23 || 12
| 9 || 2 || 2 || 4 || 9
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1943–44 NHL season|1943–44]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 50 || 6 || 25 || 31 || 13
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [[1944–45 NHL season|1944–45]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 46 || 8 || 15 || 23 || 16
| 7 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1945–46 NHL season|1945–46]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 30 || 2 || 3 || 5 || 0
| 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
| [[1946–47 NHL season|1946–47]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 6 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals
! 835 !! 229 !! 248 !! 477 !! 452
! 82 !! 13 !! 16 !! 29 !! 50
|}

==Coaching record==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="6"|[[Regular season]] !! colspan="1"|[[Post season]]
|-
! G !! W !! L !! T !! Pts !! Division rank !! Result
|-
![[Boston Bruins]]||[[1945–46 NHL season|1945–46]]
|50||24||18||8||56||2nd in NHL||Lost in Cup Finals
|-
![[Boston Bruins]]||[[1946–47 NHL season|1946–47]]
|60||26||23||11||63||2nd in NHL||Lost in semi-finals
|-
![[Boston Bruins]]||[[1947–48 NHL season|1947–48]]
|60||23||24||13||59||3rd in NHL||Lost in semi-finals
|-
![[Boston Bruins]]||[[1948–49 NHL season|1948–49]]
|60||29||23||8||66||2nd in NHL||Lost in semi-finals
|-
! colspan="2"|NHL Total ||230||102||88||40
|}

==See also==
*[[List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{icehockeystats|legendsm=P194701}}
* DIT: Dit Clapper and the Rise of the Boston Bruins by Stewart F. Richardson and Richard J. Leblanc, Paperback: 226 pages, Createspace (July 1, 2012) {{ISBN|1475165064}}

{{S-start}}
{{succession box | before = [[George Owen (ice hockey)|George Owen]] | title = [[Boston Bruins#Team captains|Boston Bruins captain]] | years = [[1932–33 NHL season|1932–33]] | after = [[Marty Barry]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Cooney Weiland]] | title = Boston Bruins captain | years = [[1939–40 NHL season|1939]]–[[1943–44 NHL season|44]] | after = [[Bill Cowley]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Art Ross]] | title = [[Head coaches of the Boston Bruins|Head coach of the Boston Bruins]] | years = [[1945–46 NHL season|1945]]–[[1948–49 NHL season|49]] | after = [[Georges Boucher]] }}
{{S-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clapper, Dit}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1978 deaths]]
[[Category:Boston Bruins captains]]
[[Category:Boston Bruins coaches]]
[[Category:Boston Bruins players]]
[[Category:Boston Tigers (CAHL) players]]
[[Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches]]
[[Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen]]
[[Category:Canadian ice hockey right wingers]]
[[Category:Hockey Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:National Hockey League players with retired numbers]]
[[Category:Ice hockey people from Newmarket, Ontario]]
[[Category:Ice hockey people from Northumberland County, Ontario]]
[[Category:Stanley Cup champions]]
[[Category:Ice hockey player-coaches]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]