Syl Apps Toronto Maple Leaf classy captain

On my walk at Mount View Cemetery in Cambridge, Ontario, I discovered the grave of one of the greatest centers in Toronto Maple Leafs history, Sylvanus “Syl” Apps.

Montreal had #4, Jean Béliveau, and Toronto had #10, Syl Apps—both heralded as the classiest men in hockey.

Syl was not just a hockey star; he was an outstanding athlete who competed in the pole vault at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It was Conn Smythe who spotted this six-foot athlete playing football for McMaster University and convinced him to take up hockey for the Leafs.

Apps played his entire 10-year NHL career with Toronto, bringing the Stanley Cup home three times in the 1940s. He scored 201 goals and averaged over a point per game across 423 games.

Born in Paris, Ontario, Syl Apps was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 and, two years later, became a Member of the Order of Canada—a true Canadian sports legend.

Syl Apps died on December 24, 1998, in Kingston, Ontario. He was 83.

Finally,  Toronto Maple Leafs owner, Conn Smythe called Syl Apps the greatest player in Toronto franchise history.

1915-1998