Apps played in the inaugural 1960
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Scarboro Lions. He was originally drafted by the
New York Rangers in
1964 but did not play his first big league season until 1970. That season, he was traded to the
Pittsburgh Penguins, the team with which he made his mark, becoming one of the franchise's first stars. Between 1973 and 1976, Apps centered the
Century Line with left wing
Lowell MacDonald and right wing
Jean Pronovost. He led the team in scoring three times and was named to play in the 1975 All-Star Game. Apps set a team record with 59 points in
1971–72, broke his own record in
1972–73 with 85 points, and tied that in
1973–74. Apps's best season was
1975–76, when he scored 32 goals and 67 assists for 99 points, although this was not a team record, as during this season Pierre Larouche scored 111 points and Jean Pronovost tallied 104. With Apps's numbers declining, he was traded to the
Los Angeles Kings in the 1977–78 season as the Penguins started to remake the team (
Pierre Larouche,
Dennis Owchar and
Hartland Monahan were all dealt during this season.
Dave Burrows and
Jean Pronovost would be as well at the season's conclusion.) Apps retired two years later, finishing his career as the Penguins' career assist leader and second in goals and points. He played 727 career NHL games, scoring 183 goals and 423 assists for 606 points. ==Personal==