Welcome to our series on who wore each number best for the Penguins.
The idea is being openly borrowed from our new hockey writer, Cody Tucker, and his project at the Lansing State Journal covering all the uniform numbers worn through Michigan State football history, one that’s been well received by their readers and prompted heavy discussion and debate.
Under Taylor Haase's organization, and following the voting of a big chunk of our staff, we’ll publish one new one each day until completion, which should be right around the start of training camp.
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Name: Syl Apps
Number: 26
Position: Center
Born: August 1, 1947 in Toronto
Seasons with Penguins: 1970-71 to 1977-78
Statistics with Penguins: 495 games, 151 goals, 349 assists in the regular season; 19 games, 4 goals, 4 assists in the playoffs
WHY APPS?
He was the best center in the Penguins' pre-Mario history, and is one of the club's all-time great playmakers. He's still sixth all-time in assists (although Kris Letang is about to pass him), and his 500 points rank ninth.
Syl Apps' father, also named Syl, is a Hall of Famer who played on good Maple Leafs teams. (A Hockey News story calls him "the greatest Toronto Maple Leaf in history.") The son was drafted by the Rangers in 1964, went to Princeton for a year, transferred to Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., then made his way through the Rangers' system.
On January 26, 1971, the Penguins, needing a center, made one of the great trades in their history when they sent bottom-six forward (and future Hall of Fame general manager) Glen Sather to New York for Apps and defenseman Sheldon Kannegeisser.
Kannegeisser did spend a couple of years on the Penguin blue line, but Apps was the prize.
In 1971-72, Apps' 44 assists and 59 points both led the playoff-bound team. The formation of the Century Line (even if they only combined for 98 goals) with Lowell MacDonald and Jean Pronovost in 1972-73 had Apps atop the team with 56 assists and 85 points; his 29 goals were third. The assists were eighth-most in the league.
The Century Line combined for 107 goals in 1973-74. Once again, Apps led the team with 61 assists and 85 points; his 24 goals were third. He finished fourth in assists and seventh in points in the league. Apps, Dave Burrows, Pronovost and MacDonald were named co-MVPs of the Penguins. In 1974-75, Apps slipped to second behind Ron Schock with 55 assists and 79 points. Apps and Pronovost played in the 1975 All-Star Game, and Apps was named MVP after scoring two goals.
In 1975-76, Apps returned to the top of the Penguins' assists list with 67, but his 99 points were third behind the franchise's first two 50-goal and 100-point scorers, Pierre Larouche and Pronovost. He was sixth in assists and tenth in points in the NHL. With MacDonald's knee blowing out in 1976-77, Apps' team-leading assist total was a mere 43, and his 61 points were third on the team. On Nov. 2, 1977, after putting up seven assists in nine games, Apps was traded to the Kings along with Hartland Monahan for Dave Schultz, Gene Carr and a fourth-round pick because owner du jour Al Savill decided it would be easier to sell tickets with "the toughest player in the National Hockey League."
WHAT'S HE DOING NOW?
After a couple years in Los Angeles real estate, Apps, now 70, moved back to Toronto and got into the finance industry.
His son, Syl, played hockey at Princeton and in the minor leagues. His daughter, Gillian, went to Dartmouth, and was a member of the 2006 and 2010 gold-medal-winning Canadian teams.
IT WAS SPOKEN
"Most beautiful goal I've seen in a long time. Ho! Ho-ho-HO! I played it back on TV. He gave (Jacques) Plante this" -- Kelly lunged to his right -- "and then this" -- Kelly lunged to his left -- "and you could see Plante thinking, 'I've got him.' So Plante puts his stick out and then the kid dekes him again, and I tell you it just made bubbles inside, ho-ho. First time I've chuckled all year." — Penguin coach Red Kelly, as described by The Pittsburgh Press' Roy McHugh, after Apps scored in his first game as a Penguin.
"I've had a lot of thrills in hockey, but this is one of the best." -- Syl Apps the elder, after watching his son win the All-Star Game MVP in 1975.
"Pittsburgh is a nice town to play hockey in. And I think the whole hockey history would have changed if we had won that (Islanders) series. We would have been one of the top four teams. And even if we had lost in the next round to Philadelphia, they won the Cup that year and we would have looked pretty good." -- Apps, after the trade, lamenting the lost opportunity to establish the sport in Pittsburgh in 1975.
HONORABLE MENTIONS AT NO. 26
Orest Kindrachuk
ANY DEBATE?
No. Kindrachuk was briefly the Pens' captain, but he was only in Pittsburgh for a couple years.
Tomorrow: DK has No. 27
Yesterday: Kevin Stevens
