Aubrey Victor “Dit” Clapper was born February 9th, 1907 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, but raised in Hastings, Ontario.

Dit Clapper played his entire 20-year career (1927-1947) for the Boston Bruins. To this day, only 9 other NHL players have played a 20-year career with only one team. he was also the NHL career leader in games played when he retired.

Clapper played defense his entire junior career, but Bruins coach Art Ross tried him at forward with Cooney Weiland and Dutch Gainor and the famed “Dynamite Line” was born. He was the biggest forward of his era at 6′2″ and 200 lbs, which probably served him well on defense. He played a total of nine years at right-wing and 11 as a defenseman. He is the only player in NHL history to be named an all-star as a forward and a defenceman.

Later in his career, he was moved back to defense with Eddie Shore as his partner, and he was named a First Team NHL All-Star on defense in 1939, 1940, and 1941.

Dit Clapper won 3 Stanley Cups with the Bruins, his first as a right-wing in 1929, and two on defense in 1939 and 1941. No other Bruin has won 3 cups with the team.

Clapper was named the 4th captain in Bruins history in the 1932-33 season, a role he served for 13 seasons before he took over for an ailing Art Ross as a player-coach in the 1945-46 season, the only player-coach in Bruins history. He coached for a total of 4 seasons, winning 78 regular-season games.

In 1947, Dit was the first player to have the 3-year waiting period waived for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. That same year the Bruins retired his number 5 sweater.