Syl Apps Charles Joseph Sylvanus "Syl" Apps, CM (January 18, 1915-December 24, 1998) of Paris, Ontario was a Canadian professional hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1936 to 1948 and a Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario. His son Syl Apps, Jr., also played in the NHL. His granddaughter Gillian Apps won the Gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics for Canada's Womens' Ice Hockey Team, and his grandson Syl Apps III was a college hockey star at Princeton University and played several years in the minor leagues.
Apps was a strong athlete, 6 feet tall, weighing 185 pounds, and represented Canada at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he placed sixth in the pole vault. 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 Montréal on October 29, 1939 to raise money for Babe Siebert's family.
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 George Ernest Wood of the Liberals by 138 votes.
Apps was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. In 1975 he was elected to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
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. In 1977 he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.
There are several institutions named for him, including the Syl and Molly Apps Research Centre in Kingston, Ontario, and the Syl Apps Youth Centre in Oakville. The sports arena in his home town of Paris, Ontario is named the Syl Apps Community Centre.
He died in 1998 and was buried in Cambridge, Ontario. In 2001, Canada Post included Apps in a series of NHL All-Star 47-cent postage stamps.
