Apps family

The Apps family is a Canadian sporting family originally from Ontario whose best-known members span three generations of competitive ice hockey. The family’s sporting legacy began with Syl Apps, a centre who played his entire National Hockey League career for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Wearing number 10, he won the inaugural Calder Memorial Trophy in 1937 and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1942. He later served as Toronto’s captain during the first NHL All-Star Game, held at Maple Leaf Gardens on October 13, 1947. His public sporting profile also included participation in an exhibition all-star game in Montreal in 1939 that raised funds for the family of former NHL player Babe Siebert. The second generation is represented by Syl Apps Jr. Drafted by the New York Rangers in the 1964 NHL Amateur Draft, he did not reach the NHL until 1970. He subsequently joined the Pittsburgh Penguins and became one of the early prominent players in that franchise’s history. During the 1970s he centred the Penguins’ so-called Century Line with Lowell MacDonald and Jean Pronovost. Apps Jr. led Pittsburgh in scoring three times, played in the 1975 NHL All-Star Game, and established several notable scoring marks. He recorded 59 points in 1971–72, then raised the figure to 85 points in 1972–73 and matched it in 1973–74. His strongest individual season came in 1975–76, when he produced 32 goals and 67 assists for 99 points. At retirement, he was Pittsburgh’s career leader in assists and ranked second in franchise history in both goals and points. The third generation continued the family’s connection with hockey but followed a broader range of competitive paths. Syl Apps III played four seasons for the Princeton Tigers, served as team captain during the 1998–99 season, and finished his Princeton career with 122 games, 30 goals, 41 assists, and 71 total points. He scored the winning goal in an 80-minute, 48-second overtime game against Clarkson on March 21, 1998, helping Princeton win the ECAC Championship. Unlike his father and grandfather, he did not play in the NHL. Instead, he continued professionally in the American Hockey League with the St. John’s Maple Leafs, Norfolk Admirals, and Springfield Falcons, and in the East Coast Hockey League with the Jackson Bandits and Trenton Titans, for whom he served as captain. Gillian Apps developed into an accomplished women’s ice hockey player. She played NCAA hockey for Dartmouth in the ECAC and represented Canada internationally. Her achievements included gold medals at the 2004 and 2007 IIHF Women’s World Championships, silver medals in 2005, 2008, and 2009, and Olympic gold medals at the 2006 Turin Games and the 2010 Vancouver Games. She also appeared in the 2010 Clarkson Cup championship game and was selected to the ECAC women’s hockey All-Decade team in April 2010. Another member of the third generation, Amy Apps, pursued soccer rather than hockey. She played for McMaster University, earned selection to West Division All-Star teams in 1998 and 1999, and won a 2004 W-League championship with the Vancouver Whitecaps. She made her debut for the Canadian women’s national soccer team in 2005 and participated in international development competitions. Her career was affected by significant injuries and a neurological illness that kept her bedridden for much of 2006; a torn anterior cruciate ligament prevented her from competing at the 2007 Pan American Games. Collectively, the third-generation siblings recorded more than 200 NCAA ice hockey games, while the family’s wider sporting record extends from NHL and Olympic hockey to university and national-team soccer.

The Apps family originated in Ontario and became notable through the sporting careers of three generations. The family’s first prominent athlete was Syl Apps, who established a long NHL career as a centre with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He remained with Toronto throughout his professional career, wore number 10, won the first Calder Memorial Trophy in 1937, and received the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1942. His later public roles included captaining Toronto during the NHL’s first All-Star Game in 1947. He also participated in a 1939 Montreal all-star match organized to support the family of Babe Siebert. Syl Apps Jr. extended the family’s hockey presence into the next generation. Although initially selected by the New York Rangers in the 1964 NHL Amateur Draft, he did not make his NHL debut until 1970. After moving to the Pittsburgh Penguins, he became one of the organization’s early stars. His most prominent Pittsburgh period came in the 1970s, when he centred the Century Line alongside Lowell MacDonald and Jean Pronovost. He led the Penguins in scoring on three occasions and appeared in the 1975 All-Star Game. His scoring totals rose from 59 points in 1971–72 to 85 points in 1972–73, a mark he equalled the following season. In 1975–76 he recorded 99 points, including 32 goals and 67 assists. He retired as Pittsburgh’s career assist leader and its second-ranked player in goals and points. The third generation diversified the family’s athletic record. Syl Apps III played 122 games for Princeton, producing 30 goals, 41 assists, and 71 points. He captained the team in 1998–99 and was part of the 1998 ECAC championship. His professional career continued in the AHL and ECHL rather than the NHL, including a captaincy with the Trenton Titans. Gillian Apps played NCAA women’s hockey at Dartmouth and became a major member of Canada’s national team. She won Olympic gold in 2006 and 2010, world championship gold in 2004 and 2007, and additional world championship silver medals. She was later named to the ECAC women’s hockey All-Decade team. Amy Apps pursued soccer, playing university football at McMaster, winning a W-League title with the Vancouver Whitecaps, and appearing for Canada’s women’s national team. Her career was interrupted by serious illness and injuries, including an ACL tear in 2007. The family is therefore remembered not as a commercial enterprise but as a multigenerational Canadian sporting lineage spanning professional hockey, NCAA competition, Olympic sport, and international soccer.

• 2010

  Gillian Apps wins a second Olympic gold medal

  [1]Apps familyen.wikipedia.org

  Apps won Olympic gold with Canada at the Vancouver Winter Games and was later named to the ECAC women’s hockey All-Decade team.

• 2006

  Gillian Apps wins Olympic gold in Turin

  [1]Apps familyen.wikipedia.org

  Gillian Apps was part of Canada’s gold-medal women’s hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

• 2004

  Gillian Apps wins major international hockey titles

  [1]Apps familyen.wikipedia.org

  Gillian Apps won a gold medal with Canada at the Women’s World Championship and an Olympic gold medal at the Turin Winter Games in 2006; the family reference identifies her 2004 world championship gold as part of her international record.

• 1998

  Syl Apps III scores Princeton’s ECAC championship-winning goal

  [1]Apps familyen.wikipedia.org

  On March 21, Syl Apps III scored the deciding goal in Princeton’s 5–4 victory over Clarkson after an 80:48 game, securing the ECAC Championship.

• 1975

  Syl Apps Jr. appears in the NHL All-Star Game

  [1]Apps familyen.wikipedia.org

  Apps Jr. was selected for the 1975 All-Star Game during his prominent period with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

• 1947

  Syl Apps captains Toronto in the first NHL All-Star Game

  [1]Apps familyen.wikipedia.org

  Apps served as Maple Leafs captain during the first National Hockey League All-Star Game at Maple Leaf Gardens on October 13.

• 1942

  Syl Apps wins the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

  [1]Apps familyen.wikipedia.org

  Syl Apps was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy during his Toronto Maple Leafs career.

• 1937

  Syl Apps wins the inaugural Calder Memorial Trophy

  [1]Apps familyen.wikipedia.org

  Toronto Maple Leafs centre Syl Apps received the first Calder Memorial Trophy, recognizing the NHL’s outstanding rookie.

A sports legacy and family-history subject rather than a commercial consumer brand.

1. 1Apps familyen.wikipedia.org