View source for Syl Apps

{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player and politician (1915–1998)}}
{{for|his son, the ice hockey player born in 1947|Syl Apps Jr.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| name = {{br entries|Syl Apps|{{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM}}}}
| image = Syl Apps.jpg
| caption = Apps with the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] in 1942
| image_size = 230px
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1915|1|18}}
| birth_place = [[Paris, Ontario]], Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1998|12|24|1915|1|18}}
| death_place = [[Kingston, Ontario]], Canada
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 0
| weight_lb = 185
| position = [[Centre (ice hockey)|Centre]]
| shoots = Left
| played_for = [[Toronto Maple Leafs]]
| career_start = 1936
| career_end = 1948
| halloffame = 1961
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Track and field athletics|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games|British Empire Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1934 British Empire Games|1934 London]] | Pole vault}}
| module=
{{Infobox officeholder|embed=yes
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Charles Joseph Sylvanus Apps
| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|CM}}
| image = 
| office = [[Ministry of the Solicitor General|Minister of Correctional Services]]
| premier = [[Bill Davis]]
| term_start = 1971
| term_end = 1974
| predecessor = [[Allan Grossman]]
| successor = [[Richard Potter (Canadian politician)|Richard Potter]]
| office1 = [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Ontario MPP]]
| term_start1 = 1963
| term_end1 = 1975
| predecessor1 = [[William McAdam Nickle]]
| successor1 = [[Keith Norton]]
| constituency1 = [[Kingston (provincial electoral district)|Kingston]], 1963–1967<br />{{nowrap|[[Kingston and the Islands (provincial electoral district)|Kingston and the Islands]], 1967–1975}}
| party = [[Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942)|National Government]] (Federal)<br>[[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]] (Provincial)
| allegiance = Canada
| branch = [[Canadian Army]]
| serviceyears = 1943–1945
| battles = [[World War II]]
}}
}}

'''Charles Joseph Sylvanus Apps''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM}} (January 18, 1915 – December 24, 1998),<ref name=CHATLAS>{{cite book|title=The Canadian Hockey Atlas|url=https://archive.org/details/canadianhockeyat0000cole|url-access=registration|first=Stephen|last=Cole|publisher=Doubleday Canada|year=2006|isbn=978-0-385-66093-8 }}</ref> was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] professional [[ice hockey]] player for the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] from 1936 to 1948, an Olympic [[pole vault]]er and a [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Conservative]] [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Member of Provincial Parliament]] in [[Ontario]]. In 2017 Apps was named one of the '[[100 Greatest NHL Players]]' in history.<ref name="100 Greatest NHL Players">{{cite web|title=100 Greatest NHL Players|url=https://www.nhl.com/fans/nhl-centennial/100-greatest-nhl-players|publisher=National Hockey League|access-date=January 1, 2017|date=January 1, 2017}}</ref>

==Athletic career==
[[File:Syl Apps vs five defenders.jpg|thumb|left|Syl Apps, against 4 [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks]] players and goalie]]
Apps was a strong athlete, six feet tall, weighing 185 pounds, and won the gold medal at the [[1934 British Empire Games]] in [[Athletics at the 1934 British Empire Games – Men's pole vault|the pole vault competition]]. Two years later he represented Canada at the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Olympics]] in [[Berlin]], Germany, where he placed sixth in [[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's pole vault|the pole vault event]]. After watching him play [[Canadian football|football]] at [[McMaster University]] (where Apps was majoring in Economics), [[Conn Smythe]] signed Apps to play hockey with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Apps played [[Centre (ice hockey)|centre position]] with the Toronto Maple Leafs for his entire professional hockey career. His [[hockey jersey|jersey]] number was 10. He was the winner of the first [[Calder Memorial Trophy]] in [[1936–37 NHL season|1937]], and the [[1941–42 NHL season|1942]] [[Lady Byng Memorial Trophy]]. Apps served as the [[List of Toronto Maple Leafs captains|Maple Leafs]] [[captain (ice hockey)|captain]] during the first [[National Hockey League All-Star Game]] October 13, 1947, at [[Maple Leaf Gardens]]. He also played for an all-star team competing in [[Montreal]] on October 29, 1939, to raise money for [[Babe Siebert]]'s family.

Apps was in the prime of his career when he joined the Canadian Army during World War II at the end of the 1943 season.  He served two years until the war was over, whereupon he returned to captain the Leafs, winning 2 more Stanley Cups in 1947 and 1948.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p196101&page=bio&list=ByYear#photo |title = HHOF - Player Details}}</ref>

Apps contemplated retirement following the 1947 Stanley Cup win, but returned in order to reach the 200 career goals milestone. With 196 career goals heading into the final weekend of the [[1947–48 NHL season|regular season]], Apps scored 5 goals in the two weekend games to surpass his goal.<ref name="100Greatest"/> Despite scoring 53 points in 55 games and setting a career high in goals, Apps retired from the NHL at the age of 33 and took a marketing job with the [[Simpson's]] department store. At the same time, he also served as the Ontario Athletic Commissioner.

==Politics==
While still playing hockey, Apps ran for parliament in the [[1940 Canadian federal election|1940 federal election]]. He was a candidate in the riding of [[Brant (electoral district)|Brant]] for the [[National Government (Canada)|National Government Party]] but lost to incumbent [[George Wood (Canadian politician)|George Wood]] of the Liberals by 138 votes.

Apps was a [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]] member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]] from 1963 to 1975. He represented the riding of [[Kingston (provincial electoral district)|Kingston]] from 1963 to 1967 and [[Kingston and the Islands (provincial electoral district)|Kingston and the Islands]] from 1967 to 1975. He served as the Minister of Correctional Services from 1971 to 1974.

==Death==
On December 24, 1998, Apps died from a [[heart attack]] and was buried in Mountview Cemetery in [[Cambridge, Ontario]]. After his death, the Maple Leafs honoured his jersey number and [[George Armstrong (ice hockey)|George Armstrong]]'s number, who both wore the number 10. Their numbers were not retired, as the Maple Leafs had a [[List of Toronto Maple Leafs award winners#Retired numbers|policy]] of only retiring numbers for players "who have made a significant contribution to the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and have experienced a career-ending incident while a member of the Maple Leaf team". However, this policy was changed for the Maple Leafs' centennial season, with Apps' number, along with 15 others, officially being retired on October 15, 2016.

==Legacy==
Apps was known for his athleticism, character, skating and play-making abilities (alongside a scoring touch, six times reaching the 20 goal plateau).<ref name="100Greatest"/> He has been praised by Maple Leafs alumni, authors, historians and even competitors. Maple Leafs owner [[Conn Smythe]] called Apps the greatest player in franchise history, with teammate [[Howie Meeker]] noting his strong, consistent play. [[Ted Kennedy (ice hockey)|Ted Kennedy]] often spoke of his character. [[Jack Adams]], famous for his managerial roles with the [[Detroit Red Wings]], stated that Apps was the greatest centre he had ever seen. [[Boston Bruins]] legend [[Milt Schmidt]] called Apps the greatest player he ever played against, as did [[Ted Lindsay]] in relation to the centre position and gentlemanly characteristics.<ref name="100Greatest"/>

In 1975, he was elected to [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]] and two years later Apps was made a Member of the [[Order of Canada]].

Several institutions are named for him, including the ''Syl and Molly Apps Research Centre'' in [[Kingston, Ontario]], and the ''Syl Apps Youth Centre'' in [[Oakville, Ontario]]. The sports arena in his home town of Paris is named the ''Syl Apps Community Centre''.

In 1997, Syl Apps was inducted into the [[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Syl Apps |url=http://oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/71-syl-apps |website=oshof.ca |publisher=[[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]] |access-date=September 24, 2014 |archive-date=December 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229012006/http://www.oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/71-syl-apps |url-status=dead }}</ref> Unveiled by the [[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]] on January 13, 1998, the Syl Apps Award is emblematic of Ontario's Athlete of the Year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Syl Apps Athlete of the Year Award |url=http://oshof.ca/index.php/annual-awards/syl-apps-award |website=oshof.ca |publisher=Ontario Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=September 24, 2014 |archive-date=October 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021084714/http://oshof.ca/index.php/annual-awards/syl-apps-award |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2001, [[Canada Post]] included Apps in a [[List of people on stamps of Canada|series]] of NHL All-Star 47-cent [[postage stamp]]s.

The National Hockey League itself listed Apps as one of the 100 Greatest Players to ever play in the league as part of the league's centennial celebrations in 2017.<ref name="100Greatest">{{cite web|title=Syl Apps: 100 Greatest NHL Players|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/syl-apps-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players/c-284008124?tid=283865022|publisher=National Hockey League|access-date=January 1, 2016}}</ref>

==Family==
Apps and wife Mary Josephine had five children, Joanne, Robert, Carol, Janet and son [[Syl Apps Jr.]] (the latter also played in the NHL). His granddaughter (and daughter of Syl Jr.) [[Gillian Apps]] won the gold medal in the [[2006 Winter Olympics]], the [[2010 Winter Olympics]], and the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] for Canada's women's ice hockey team, and his grandson [[Syl Apps III]] was a college hockey star at [[Princeton University]] and played four years in the minor leagues. His grandson [[Darren Barber]] won a gold medal at the [[Rowing at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's eight|1992 Barcelona Olympics in the men's 8]] in rowing. Barber is now a family doctor in [[Peterborough, Ontario]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/sports-story/8209771-gold-medallist-coaching-coaching-novice-women-s-eights-at-trent/ |title = Gold medalist coaching coaching novice women's eights at Trent {{!}} ThePeterboroughExaminer.com| date=October 7, 2014 }}</ref>
Another cousin, whose grandparents had settled in Manitoba, was [[Murray Dryden]]; his sons [[Dave Dryden]] and [[Ken Dryden]] were NHL Goalkeepers.

==NHL awards and achievements==
* [[Calder Memorial Trophy]] winner in [[1936-37 NHL season|1937]].
* Selected to the [[NHL Second All-Star Team]] in [[1937-38 NHL season|1938]], [[1940-41 NHL season|1941]], and [[1942-43 NHL season|1943]].
* Selected to the [[NHL First All-Star Team]] in [[1938-39 NHL season|1939]], and [[1941-42 NHL season|1942]].
* [[Lady Byng Memorial Trophy]] winner in 1942.
* [[Stanley Cup]] champion in [[1942 Stanley Cup Finals|1942]], [[1947 Stanley Cup Finals|1947]], and [[1948 Stanley Cup Finals|1948]].
* Inducted into the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]] in 1961.
* Inducted into [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1975.
* In 1998, he was ranked number 33 on ''[[The Hockey News]]''' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
* #10 jersey retired by the [[Toronto Maple Leafs#Retired numbers|Toronto Maple Leafs]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Toronto Maple Leafs retire the numbers of 17 players|url=https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/news/toronto-maple-leafs-retire-the-numbers-of-17-players/c-282696202|publisher=National Hockey League|access-date=October 16, 2016|date=October 15, 2016}}</ref>
* In January 2017, Apps was part of the first group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.<ref name="100 Greatest NHL Players"/>

== Career statistics ==
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:50em;"
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! colspan="3"  bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
! colspan="5"                    | Regular&nbsp;season
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
! colspan="5"                    | Playoffs
|- style="background:#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
|-
| 1930–31||Paris Green||[[Ontario Hockey Association|OHA-Jr.]]||7||5||1||6||0||—||—||—||—||—
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 1935–36||[[Hamilton Tigers (OHA)|Hamilton Tigers]]||[[OHA Senior A League (1890–1979)|OHA-Sr.]]||19||22||16||38||10||9||12||7||19||4
|-
| 1935–36||Toronto Dominions||OHA-Sr.||1||0||1||1||0||—||—||—||—||—
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| [[1936 Allan Cup|1935–36]]||Hamilton Tigers||[[Allan Cup|A-Cup]]||—||—||—||—||—||4||5||4||9||2
|-
| [[1936–37 NHL season|1936–37]]||[[Toronto Maple Leafs]]||[[National Hockey League|NHL]]||48||16||29||45||10||2||0||1||1||0
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| [[1937–38 NHL season|1937–38]]||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||47||21||29||50||9||7||1||4||5||0
|-
| [[1938–39 NHL season|1938–39]]||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||44||15||25||40||4||10||2||6||8||2
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| [[1939–40 NHL season|1939–40]]||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||27||13||17||30||5||10||5||2||7||2
|-
| [[1940–41 NHL season|1940–41]]||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||41||20||24||44||6||5||3||2||5||2
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| [[1941–42 NHL season|1941–42]]||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||38||18||23||41||0||13||5||9||14||2
|-
| [[1942–43 NHL season|1942–43]]||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||29||23||17||40||2||—||—||—||—||—
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| [[1945–46 NHL season|1945–46]]||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||40||24||16||40||2||—||—||—||—||—
|-
| [[1946–47 NHL season|1946–47]]||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||54||25||24||49||6||11||5||1||6||0
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| [[1947–48 NHL season|1947–48]]||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||55||26||27||53||12||9||4||4||8||0
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals
! 423
! 201
! 231
! 432
! 56
! 67
! 25
! 29
! 54
! 14
|}

== Electoral record ==
{{1940 Canadian federal election/Brant}}
{{1963 Ontario general election/Kingston}}
{{1967 Ontario general election/Kingston and the Islands}}
{{1971 Ontario general election/Kingston and the Islands}}
Note: Apps appeared on Provincial election ballots as his legal first, middle, and last name.

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{icehockeystats|legendsm=P196101}}
* {{Ontario MPP biography|ID=841|id=charles-joseph-sylvanus-apps}}
* {{Olympics.com|charles-j-sylvanus-apps|Charles J. Sylvanus Apps}}
* {{Team Canada|sylvannus-apps|Sylvanus Apps}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{s-start}}
{{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Bill_Davis}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts
| post1preceded = [[Allan Grossman]]
| post1         = [[Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services|Minister of Correctional Services]]
| post1years    = 1971–1974
| post1note     =
| post1followed = [[Richard Potter (Canadian politician)|Richard Potter]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{S-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box | before = [[Red Horner]] | title = [[List of Toronto Maple Leafs captains|Toronto Maple Leafs captain]] | years = [[1940–41 NHL season|1940]]–[[1942–43 NHL season|1943]] | after = [[Bob Davidson (ice hockey)|Bob Davidson]]}}
{{succession box | before = Bob Davidson | title = Toronto Maple Leafs captain | years = [[1945–46 NHL season|1945]]–[[1947–48 NHL season|1948]] | after = [[Ted Kennedy (ice hockey)|Ted Kennedy]]}}
{{s-ach|awards}}
{{succession box | before = Rookie of the Year<br /> [[Mike Karakas]] | title = Winner of the [[Calder Memorial Trophy]] | years = [[1936–37 NHL season|1937]] | after = [[Cully Dahlstrom]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Bobby Bauer]] | title = Winner of the [[Lady Byng Trophy]] | years = [[1941–42 NHL season|1942]]| after = [[Max Bentley]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Lionel Conacher Award}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions Pole Vault Men}}
{{Davis Ministry}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apps, Syl}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1998 deaths]]
[[Category:Apps family|Syl]]
[[Category:Canadian Army personnel]]
[[Category:Canadian military personnel from Ontario]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Calder Trophy winners]]
[[Category:Canadian ice hockey centres]]
[[Category:Canadian men pole vaulters]]
[[Category:Canadian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Canadian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Canadian sportsperson-politicians]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada]]
[[Category:Hockey Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners]]
[[Category:McMaster Marauders football players]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) candidates for the Canadian House of Commons]]
[[Category:Olympic track and field athletes for Canada]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs]]
[[Category:Stanley Cup champions]]
[[Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from the County of Brant]]
[[Category:Ice hockey people from Kingston, Ontario]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]