Athletic career

Apps was a strong athlete, six feet tall, weighing 185 pounds, and won the gold medal at the 1934 British Empire Games in the pole vault competition. Two years later he represented Canada at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he placed sixth in the pole vault event. After watching him play football at McMaster University, Conn Smythe signed Apps to play hockey with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Apps played centre position with the Toronto Maple Leafs for his entire professional hockey career. His jersey number was 10. He was the winner of the first Calder Trophy in 1937, and the 1942 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. Apps served as the Maple Leafs 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.

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

Charles Joseph Sylvanus "Syl" Apps CM
Member of the Ontario Parliament for Kingston Kingston and the Islands
In office 1962-1975
Personal details
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Progressive Conservative

While still playing hockey, Apps ran for parliament in the 1940 federal election. He was a candidate in the riding of Brant for the National Government Party but lost to incumbent George Ernest Wood of the Liberals by 138 votes.

Apps was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1975. He represented the riding of Kingston from 1963 to 1967 and Kingston and the Islands from 1967 to 1975. He served as the Minister of Correctional Services from 1971 to 1974.

Death

Apps died of a heart attack on December 24, 1998. On that morning, Apps was lying down in bed when he was struck with chest pains and fell unconscious. He was rushed to the Kingston General Hospital, where he later died. Apps was buried in Mountview Cemetery in Cambridge, Ontario. After his death, the Maple Leafs honoured his jersey number and George Armstrong's number, who both wore the number 10. Their numbers were not retired, as the Maple Leafs have a 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".

Honours

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. 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.

In 2001, Canada Post included Apps in a series of NHL All-Star 47-cent postage stamps.

Family

His son Syl Apps, Jr. also played in the NHL. His granddaughter 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 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the Men's 8 in rowing.

NHL awards and achievements

• Calder Memorial Trophy winner in 1937.
• Selected to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1938, 1941, and 1943.
• Selected to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1939, and 1942.
• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner in 1942.
• Stanley Cup champion in 1942, 1947, and 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.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1930-31	Paris Green	OHA-Jr.		7	5	1	6	0		—	—	—	—	—
1935-36	Hamilton Tigers	OHA-Sr.		19	22	16	38	10		9	12	7	19	4
1935-36	Toronto Dominions	OHA-Sr.		1	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1935-36	Hamilton Tigers	A-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		4	5	4	9	2
1936-37	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		48	16	29	45	10		2	0	1	1	0
1937-38	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		47	21	29	50	9		7	1	4	5	0
1938-39	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		44	15	25	40	4		10	2	6	8	2
1939-40	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		27	13	17	30	5		10	5	2	7	2
1940-41	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		41	20	24	44	6		5	3	2	5	2
1941-42	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		38	18	23	41	0		13	5	9	14	2
1942-43	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		29	23	17	40	2		—	—	—	—	—
1945-46	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		40	24	16	40	2		—	—	—	—	—
1946-47	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		54	25	24	49	6		11	5	1	6	0
1947-48	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		55	26	27	53	12		9	4	4	8	0
NHL totals				423	201	231	432	56		67	25	29	54	14

[ Source: Wikipedia ]