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Post by CentreHice on Mar 5, 2014 16:57:38 GMT -5
Cheers and then some!   |
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Post by CentreHice on Mar 5, 2014 17:49:43 GMT -5
Nice passage from his HHOF page. "Kraut Line"....would never fly today. Schmidt-Woody Dumart-Bobby Bauer....all three from Kitchener, Ontario...all of German descent. The Second World War broke out, and many NHL players interrupted their lives at the zenith of their careers to serve their country. Such was the case with the Kraut Line. "We left the Bruins in 1942 and had to prove to our Draft Board in the United States that we were going to go to Canada to join the Air Force," remembers Schmidt. "The three of us (Schmidt, Bauer and Dumart) flew up to Montreal and we joined the Air Force. They wanted us to report the next day, and we said, 'Hey! Wait a minute!' We only had the clothes we were wearing on our back. We had to go back to Boston to get our clothes then go from their back to our homes (in Kitchener) to see our families. When we got back to Boston, we told (Art) Ross about it and Ross knew somebody in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He called somebody there and we got a reprieve for about a month."
The Kraut Line played several more games before they were scheduled to report for active duty. On February 11, 1942 -- the final game before the Kitchener trio was to depart to serve Canada -- the Bruins spanked Montreal 8-1, and Schmidt, Bauer and Dumart earned 22 points between them. In tribute to the respect the trio had earned not just as hockey players but as proud Canadians, Bobby Bauer, Woody Dumart and Milt Schmidt received an emotional send-off at the Boston Gardens. "Much to their credit in spite of how tough we were playing against one another, after the game was over, both Montreal and Boston players hoisted us on their shoulders and carried us off the ice. The ovation from the crowd was fantastic," reminisces Schmidt, pausing to savour the moment. "It just goes to show that you can have pretty bitter enemies out on that ice, but after the game is over, we're all friends, and I think that has a lot to say about the people who play the game."
The Kraut Line joined the Ottawa RCAF in time for the playoffs in 1942 and dominated the series. Bauer collected 22 points, Dumart 35 and Schmidt 34 points. But they wouldn't return to the NHL until 1945-46. "We weren't too successful when we came back after being away from it for three-and-a-half years. When we went into the service, there was no red line but when we got back, they had introduced the red line. We had a tough time adjusting ourselves to that." The red line was adopted prior to the 1943-44 season, and was intended to speed up the game and reduce offsides. "It was by far and away a different hockey game," muses Schmidt. "It didn't take us long to catch on and once we got our sea legs, we didn't do too badly after that." |
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Post by blny on Mar 5, 2014 18:27:36 GMT -5
One of the classiest gentlemen I've never had the pleasure to meet.
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Post by jkr on Mar 5, 2014 21:37:23 GMT -5
Happy Birthday Milt!
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Post by CentreHice on Mar 5, 2015 22:11:46 GMT -5
Happy 97th, Milt! Cheers!  |
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Post by CentreHice on Oct 20, 2016 18:36:23 GMT -5
98 last March.
Dropped the puck tonight with Bobby Orr for Boston's home opener.
In a wheelchair now....but hopefully still as mentally sharp as ever.
He's only 2 years younger than the NHL...
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