By 1938, Ross believed the Bruins needed an overhaul, and as part of it asked Clapper to move back to defence. Paired with perennial superstar Eddie Shore on the backline, the move proved highly successful, and Clapper was named a First Team NHL All-Star on defence in 1939, 1940 and 1941, leading the Bruins to Stanley Cup victories in 1939 and 1941.
In February 1942, Clapper suffered a severed tendon in a collision with Toronto player Bingo Kampman and was done for the season. It was feared he would be forced into retirement, but he came back next year and returned to form. During the 1944 season, Clapper broke Hooley Smith's career record for games played, holding the record until Maurice Richard surpassed him in 1957.
During the 1944 season, Clapper filled in as interim coach when Art Ross took ill. In 1945 Ross retired as Bruins' coach, retaining his general manager's position, and named Clapper as player-coach, the only one in team history. Clapper retained his team captaincy until his retirement as a player in 1947, ultimately serving as team captain for longer than any NHL player until Ray Bourque surpassed his total in the 1990s.
Due to injuries and with his skills not what they used to be, Clapper originally retired before the start of the 1946–47 season, but returned to play in November 1946 to replace the injured Jack Crawford in the Bruins' lineup. He played only once in awhile thereafter, and retired for good on February 12, 1947. Leading the Bruins to a 10-1 victory over the New York Rangers in his final game (in which Bill Cowley broke the league career scoring record, the Bruins further announced that day that his number #5 sweater would be retired, and the Hockey Hall of Fame immediately inducted him as an Honoured Member; he was the only active player ever to be inducted into the Hall, and at the time the only living Member inducted.
Of his prowess, Bruins goaltending legend Tiny Thompson said: "Clapper diagnosed the plays like a great infielder in baseball," said. "He put himself where the puck had to come."
He coached the Bruins for two more seasons until, unhappy with the club's performance in the 1949 playoffs against Toronto and uneasy about coaching friends with whom he had played, he resigned. Save for a single season coaching the American Hockey League's Buffalo Bisons in 1960, in which the team recorded a 33-35-4 record and failed to make the playoffs, he did not again participate in professional hockey.
Clapper ran a plumbing firm and a sporting goods store in Peterborough in retirement, while serving as a director of the Peterborough Petes of the OHA. He briefly attempted a political career, standing as a Liberal candidate for the Peterborough West riding in the 1949 federal election, losing by less than 250 votes to incumbent Progressive Conservative Gordon Fraser.
Dit Clapper died of complications from a 1973 stroke, which had left him confined to a wheelchair, on January 21, 1978. He is buried in Trent Valley Cemetery, Hastings, Ontario.
In 1983, the Bruins signed former Montreal Canadiens star Guy Lapointe, Lapointe sought to wear his customary #5 jersey, which had been retired in Clapper's honor nearly forty years before. Team general manager Harry Sinden agreed to Lapointe's request, but under protests from Clapper's family, Bruins superstar Bobby Orr and the public, Lapointe was switched to #27 after a handful of games.
In August 2012, former NHL coach Scotty Bowman, who was a young Peterborough Petes coach when Clapper served on the club's board of directors, paid tribute to Clapper. The occasion was the unveiling by Dit's daughter, Marilyn Armstrong, of a new street sign named "Dit Clapper Drive" in Hastings, Ontario.
Districts of Luxembourg
The former three districts of Luxembourg (, , ) were the top-level administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The districts were divided into cantons:
The districts (and cantons) were created on 24 February 1843. In 1857, the "Mersch" district was created from the cantons of Mersch and Redange. However, this fourth district was abolished in 1867.
In October 2015, the districts were abolished.
Diekirch (district)
The District of Diekirch (, German: "Diekirch", ) was one of three districts of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Its capital was the city of Diekirch.
In 2015, the districts were abolished.
It was the northernmost of the districts and, with an area of , the largest of the three districts. It has a population of 83,661 inhabitants and a population density of inhabitants/km², the lowest density of all districts.
When the districts were created on 24 February 1843, Diekirch was one of the three of the country.
On 2012, the communes of Heinerscheid and Munshause were made part of the commune of Clervaux; Hosingen, Consthum and Hoscheid were merged to made the new commune of Parc Hosingen; Ermsdorf and Medernach were merged to made the new commune of Vallée de l'Ernz; Heiderscheid and Neunhausen were joined to Esch-sur-Sûre. So the number of communes changed from 43 to 36.
The Diekirch district is bordered to the west and north by Belgium (Belgian provinces of Luxembourg and Liège), to the east by Germany (German "Land" of Rhineland-Palatinate, to the south by the Luxembourg district and to the southwest by the Grevenmacher district.
The two highest hills in Luxembourg, the Kneiff () and Buurgplaatz (), are in this district, in the "commune" Troisvierges.
The former Diekirch District coincides with the Oesling Region, except for the southern parts.
The Diekirch district has 5 cantons and 36 "communes".
Diekirch (canton)
Diekirch () is a canton in Luxembourg. Its capital is Diekirch.
On 1 January 2012, the canton lost the "commune" of Hoscheid when it was made part of the new "commune" Parc Hosingen in the Clervaux canton, and the "communes" of Ermsdorf and Medernach were merged to make the new "commune" of Vallée de l'Ernz.
With an area of , and a population (2017) of 32,244, the Diekirch canton has a population density of inhabitants/km².
It is bordered on the north by the cantons Clervaux and Vianden, on the east by the German district of Bitburg-Prüm (part of the "Land" of Rhineland-Palatinate) and the canton of Echternach, in the south by the canton of Mersch, and to the west by the cantons Redange and Wiltz.
The Diekirch canton consists of the following 10 communes (2017 population).
Diekirch
Diekirch (; from "Diet-Kirch", i.e. "people's church") is a commune with city status in north-eastern Luxembourg, capital city of the canton Diekirch and the district of Diekirch. The city is situated on the banks of the Sauer river.
The National Museum of Military History of Luxembourg is in Diekirch.
Diekirch is mentioned in 938 as "Theochirica" and then as "Diecirke" in 1182 and "Diekirke" in 1221. The word Diekirch means, in Luxembourgish, "people's church".
The town of Diekirch, which lies in the south of the "commune", has an area of . The altitude is high. At the church, the altitude is high.
Diekirch is surrounded by four "communes": Tandel (Vianden canton) to the north, Bettendorf to the east, Vallée de l'Ernz to the south, and Erpeldange to the west.
The most important river is the Sauer (German, Luxembourgish) or Sûre (French) that flows through the city.
There were 6,472 persons living in the "commune" in 2017, for a population density of inhabitants/km².
Evolution of the population in Diekirch
The town's mascot is the donkey. There is a donkey fountain in the centre of Diekirch.
The city of Diekirch has, as twin cities, the following cities:
Sauer
The Sauer (German, Luxembourgish) or Sûre (French) is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. It is a left tributary of the river Moselle, and so it is part of the drainage basin of the Rhine river.
The Sauer river has a length of and a drainage basin with an area of .