Tag Archives: Boston Bruins

2019 World Junior Summer Showcase recap: Beecher boosts Team USA

Early last week the 2019 World Junior Summer Showcase came to a close. Two Boston Bruins prospects took part this year. John Beecher and Curtis Hall. John Beecher managed to outshine Hall, as well as most other tournament players, including the rest of Team USA.

Friendly Competition

In July, the Bruins selected Michigan commit and center, John Beecher in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Still playing for Yale, Hall was selected in the fourth round in 2018. Over the course of the last month, Beecher and Hall competed in the 2019 World Junior Summer Showcase. Hall managed to play a key role for Team USAW (Team USA White). The score sheet doesn’t exactly say that, but those who watched the games will be able to tell you that Hall did a lot of dirty work for the team.

John Beecher on the other hand did lots of dirty work, but lit up the score sheet as well. Beecher, like Hall, played for two teams. Team USAB (Team USA Blue), and the two teams of Hall and Beecher combined to play as Team USA. Beecher managed to score points for both Team USAB and Team USA. In fact, Beecher lead Team USAB in goals and points. Hall managed to score one goal for Team USA. That was Hall’s only point of the Showcase. John Beechers performance with Team USAB managed to get him tied for the second most points, and tied for the fourth most goals in the tournament. You can see all team and player stats from the showcase here.

Bruins have a gem in Beecher

John Beecher not only managed to light up the score sheet, but also managed to light up the highlight reel as well. His biggest highlight coming against Finland, when Beecher managed to steal the puck in the defensive zone, pass up to teammate Jon Gruden in the neutral zone, fly passed defenders and go top shelf on the Swedish goalie. Beechers three other goals came from a great deflect in front of the net from a shot at the top of the key, and two goals from the faceoff circle that needed excellent skating off of the puck to be possible.

Thoughts to take away

John Beecher was a pick that a lot of Boston Bruins fans liked. On the other hand, the selection of Beecher was not liked by some fans. In most cases that I’ve seen, the fans who didn’t like the pick thought Beecher fell under the typical Bruin category. Big, physical, and a guy who can make a play every now and then. I think the Summer Showcase provided a lot of evidence that Beecher is indeed much more than a guy who can make a play every now and then. Beecher showed to be very versatile, and a very dangerous weapon in both the offensive and defensive zone.

Beecher’s playmaking abilities should prove to be his biggest weapon. Especially when he manages to make the transition from the college game to the pros. Making plays is always one thing that will get prospects an extra look from NHL organizations. Especially one like the Bruins who are looking for extra depth at the NHL level.

Featured image via https://flamesnation.ca/2019/05/30/flames-2019-first-round-targets-john-beecher/

Boston Bruins newest prospect Pavel Shen: What you need to know

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As Paul of Online-Casinos.co.uk predicted, on Monday the Bruins announced that the team has come to terms with 2018 seventh round pick forward Pavel Schen.

Where’s he been?

After being drafted in the seventh round in June of 2018, Shen decided to stay in Russia and continue playing Russian junior hockey (MHL). He totaled 12 goals and 15 assists in 34 games, while managing a plus 11 rating in juniors. Shen played in Russia’s second highest league (VHL) during the 2018-2019 season, totaling two assists in 13 games. Shen also played 49 games in the KHL. In those 49 games he had two goals and one assist. You can see a full history of Shen’s Junior and professional career here

Offensive upside

Schen’s offensive game has carried him so far in his career. Before being drafted by the Bruins, Shen was named to the MHL All Star team in the 2016-2017 season. During that season he lead the Mamonty Yugry in total points, with 45 in only 46 games played. In those 46 games, Schen scored 16 goals and had a team high 29 assists. Of the players who played only 46 games that year, Schen had the most goals, assists, and points. A plus minus of 16 also put him fourth in that category. Those numbers didn’t exactly translate for Schen as he moved leagues however. Much like Bruins first round pick John Beecher’s situation, once Pavel moved up leagues, he became buried by talent.

Where does he go from here?

Given the forward depth in Providence, Shen will likely see the bottom side of the top nine at best. Shen is a natural center that can move over to the wing spot if needed. Shen can join the top six, but he’ll have to show improvement in his overall game. If he can prove to make plays on a regular basis, Shen could find himself being plugged into the top six because of injuries or call ups. If he can play with the top six, he’ll really be able to show off his talent in the AHL.

Perhaps a move to the right wing would work for Schen. The stacked center depth might prove to difficult to crack for any future Bruins prospect. With a move to the wing, it’ll be easier for Schen to play with the more talented prospects, seeing as how the Bruins are so shallow on the wings.

Whatever the case may be, don’t count Schen out just because he was a seventh round pick. He has some very raw talent, but talent that could be enough to get him to the NHL level some day. Only time will tell.

Featured Image via nbcsports.com.

Boston Bruins History: Bruins Brawl in the Stands

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The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers were bitter rivals in the ‘70s. The rivalry, at times, was just as intense as the rivalry between Boston and Montreal. On the night of December 23, 1979, closing in on the end of the decade, the Rangers hosted the Bruins at Madison Square Garden. They were having a good game, leading the Bruins 3-1 in the third. The Bruins came back, however, scoring three unanswered goals from Terry O’Reilly, Bobby Lalonde, and Stan Jonathan. They won the game 4-3. The comeback and how fast it happened caused a lot of anger. As a result, the fans became especially vocal and threw things onto the ice.

A Physical Game

The teams were physical throughout the night with a few fights and big hits. At the final buzzer Bruins left winger Al Secord tripped Rangers center Ulf Nilsson with his stick and chaos ensued. Nilsson had been badgered all night and this was the tipping point. John Davidson, the Rangers goalie, took issue with Secord and skated across the ice and hit him into the boards, starting a brawl.

Terry O’Reilly climbs into the stands at Madison Square Garden, Dec. 23, 1979.

The Fans Join In

In addition to the fighting, a fan in the New York stands reached over the glass and hit Bruins left winger Stan “Bulldog” Jonathan in the face with a rolled up program, drawing blood. Tempers were flaring and, because of that, more fans reached over the glass and began punching the Bruins. Jonathan raised his stick instinctively and someone in the crowd took it from him. After that, right winger Terry “Taz” O’Reilly climbed over the glass, into the stands, and started fighting the fans. The fans jumped on O’Reilly and one even took off their belt and swung it as a weapon. Eighteen members of the Bruins climbed into the stands to help, and a brawl with the fans was on.

The “Shoe Incident”

Defenseman Mike Milbury was already off the ice and in the locker room, celebrating the win. He noticed the locker room was close to empty. When goalie Gerry Cheevers entered, Milbury asked where everyone was. Cheevers told him about the skirmish, so Milbury went to check it out. He got back to the ice just in time to see O’Reilly go into the stands and get swarmed by fans throwing punches. Milbury skated over and joined the fight to back up his teammate.

John Kaptain, a businessman from New Jersey, ended up shoved into a seat. Mike Milbury took off Kaptain’s shoe and hit him with it, thereby creating the infamous “shoe incident”. Milbury later said, “I wanted to protect (O’Reilly); the team. It was the thing to do… The worst thing I did was throw the shoe on the ice, which I thought was the perfect medicine. And he got a slap on the thigh with his cheap penny loafer.”

Front Page of the New York Daily News, Dec. 24th, 1979.

Aftermath

As a result of the fiasco, the fallout came swiftly. John Kaptain was arrested for disorderly conduct. Terry O’Reilly was suspended eight games and Mike Milbury and Peter McNab were each suspended six for their roles in the brawl. All eighteen players that went into the stands were fined $500. The decision to install higher glass panels at every NHL arena was made almost immediately, therefore similar events were prevented in the future. The Big Bad Bruins lived up to their name countless times throughout the ‘70s. Fighting the New York Rangers and their fans was arguably the quintessential moment of it.

NHL Lobbies for O’Ree Congressional Gold Medal

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In January of 1958, against the rival Montreal Canadiens, Willie O’Ree made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins. In doing so he became the first black player in the NHL. Now 61 years later, the NHL is lobbying for O’Ree, 83, to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. It’s the highest civilian award that Congress can give.

Facing Racism

O’Ree faced many hardships throughout his career. He had to put up with racist taunts from other players, as well as fans, on a regular basis. He once recounted that fans would yell things such as, “How come you’re not picking cotton?” and, “Go back to the South!” Yet Willie stood his ground and persevered. Between major and minor leagues O’Ree played 21 years, and he’s commonly described as “the Jackie Robinson of hockey”.

25-year-old left wing Willie O’Ree, the first black player of the National Hockey League, warms up in his Boston Bruins uniform, prior to the game with the New York Rangers, at New York’s Madison Square Garden, on November 23, 1960. (AP Photo)

Hockey For Life

After his playing career ended in 1979, Willie O’Ree stayed with hockey. He’s been the NHL’s Diversity Ambassador since 1998, promoting inclusion and confidence in youth hockey programs throughout North America. In 2018 the NHL created the annual Willie O’Ree award for the person who made a positive impact on their community through hockey. Making 2018 even more significant, O’Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Congressional Gold Medal

Now, Senator Tim Scott of North Carolina and Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan are co-sponsoring a bill, along with the NHL, to award Willie O’Ree with the Congressional Gold Medal for his efforts to promote diversification and community wellness through hockey.

Speaking to O’Ree at a press conference, Sen. Scott said, “You were the grandson of slaves from South Carolina. I would just like to put the icing on the cake from my perspective that this country continues to evolve in the right direction. That in a time and date when there’s so much incivility, so much division and polarization, the one thing that you represent today is what you represented in 1958, is that, in this country, all things are possible.”

Why fighting needs to stay in the NHL

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Over the passed few seasons fighting has become a very controversial topic in the world of hockey. The NHL has taken drastic steps to crack down on fighting, and it has seen results as fighting is at an all time low in the NHL. You can read more on the current state of fighting here.Does eliminating fighting make the NHL a safer place? Lets decide.

Why fight?

Staged fights rarely occur in todays NHL. Even less now that the league has cracked down more on the enforcer rule in specific. More often than not the reason that a fight occurs in the NHL is because a bad hit was made, or because a player had been talking a little too much smack. Often times when a fight like that occurs, the dust is settled then and there. Every now and then a good old fashioned rivalry will be created by a physical game that includes a couple of fights. Or for instance, The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadians might be playing and the rivalry will be set in stone for the rest of the franchises existence. Those games that include the most fights also happen to be the games that the NHL makes their prime time games on national television.

The NHL isn’t doing a very good job of trying to shift away from fighting if they’re bringing the most attention to the games that include the most fights.

Cons of fighting

Obviously the number one con, and the reason that the league is cracking down on fighting, is player safety. Injuries sometimes occur when the gloves are dropped. Not only player injury, but also losing players to suspension. If a player is suspended for a fight, whether is be because he has fought enough times to earn a suspension, or because the fight was planned, losing players is never good for the league. Especially if it was just a fight that resulted in no serious injury. But how often does a player receive a serious injury after dropping the gloves? How dangerous is fighting compared to the blind sided open ice hits, or the hits from behind on the boards?

The NHL is being a bit hypocritical when they say they are trying to ban fighting due to safety, but then they let players like Nazem Kadri get away with a history that includes suspensions and or fines for an illegal hit to the head (twice) an “inappropriate throat slash gesture” (once) a boarding call (once) and a cross check to the face (once) JUST TO NAME A FEW. With a track record like that, Kadri then cross checked Jake DeBrusk in the 2019 NHL playoffs. This resulted in essentially only a four game suspension as he was suspended the rest of the series against the Bruins.

Pros of fighting

Some of the most exciting games in NHL history, and even still in the NHL today, consist of fighting and hard hits. Playoff hockey is the most watched hockey, and it is far more physical than regular season hockey. Is this a coincidence? Do fans tend to flock towards the more physical hockey games? I think it shows. Hockey fans love hockey fights. Fighting is a way to settle old scores, or even make players own up to cheap hits, or hits on star players. If star players are protected, star players can make more plays and bring in more viewers.

If fighting isn’t allowed, Team A takes out the star player for team B. Team B then responds by taking out the star player for team A. Now the star player for both team A and team B are injured, and you’ve now lost two star players. If you let players fight, Team B responds by dropping the gloves with whoever on Team A put the cheap hit on the star player for Team B and all is well.

Fighting is also used as something to get the crowd back into the game for the home team. A good fight at the end of a game can change the whole outcome of a game. Not only for the crowd, but to get players back into the game and pump them up as well.

Fighting makes the game cleaner, and enables players to police the game themselves without putting bounties on other players. A lot of players will even say that the league is more safe with fighting. Business can be settled in a rather controlled manner by dropping of the gloves.

Who’s at fault?

Fighting is indeed dangerous. Lets not forget though, that most fights end up finishing with at least one of the players involved with his helmet still on. No player is protected when he’s hit by a guy who doesn’t even see before the hit. Or when his body is crushed between the boards and an opposing player from behind. Fighting might bring an edge to the game. But it is not near as dangerous as an illegal hit. Hopefully the NHL can figure that out someday soon.

Why the Danton Heinen signing is great for the Boston Bruins

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On Monday the Boston Bruins announced the signing of forward Danton Heinen to a two year 2.8 million dollar deal. Despite the rather confusing outrage from the Bruins fanbase, the signing came rather cheap. Lets take a look at the a few of the important details before we make permanent judgements on the deal.

Short track record

Despite already having two full years of NHL experience, Danton Heinen is only 24 years old. He’s shown signs of being a very good, playmaking goal scorer. Some of his talent is raw and untouched, but he’s by no means a virgin on the highlight reel. When Danton Heinen is on the ice, good things happen.

One issue that comes with being young and versatile on a team like this Boston Bruins team, run by Bruce Cassidy, is that its hard to find fulltime line mates. If Heinen can get a full season as a member of the Boston Bruins second line I think his numbers will jump drastically. Heinen’s best season came one season ago in the 2017-2018 campaign. Danton played 77 games and accounted for 47 points, 16 goals and 31 assists. While the numbers don’t jump off the page, its shows that he’s more than a one trick pony.

One more thing to take note is that 12 of those points came on the power play. While its easy to say that its always easier to score on the power play, having an impact on the power play for a team who depends on it as much as this Boston Bruins team is certainly a way top get you to stick around for a while.

How does the deal compare to the rest?

If you compare the money of Danton Heinen’s contract to the other contracts that are similar, there is absolutely nothing to worry about with this deal. All but two players with a contact that is comparable are older than Heinen, and all but two are within 10 points of Heinen’s deal. Heinen also has the highest plus minus rating of all comparable deals. That stat goes right back to my point that good things happen when he’s on the ice.

Stability for top lines

I mentioned here that the Bruins have a bit of a depth issue on the wings. Heinen provides two more years of top nine forward stability for a team that desperately needs it. Whether he’s on the top line with Bergy or on the second line with Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci, Heinen will play an important role. Signing Danton Hienen gives the Bruins a little bit of breathing room at the wing position.

Turning heads

With Marcus Johannson signing with the Sabres and Noel Acciari signing with the Panthers, signing Danton Heinen checks number three off the free agent to do list for the Bruins. Numbers one and two still remain unsigned. Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo have yet to sign, and the issue is cap room. After Heinen’s signing the Bruins now have about $8 Million to spend between the two. All heads will turn to Don Sweeney and the Bruins front office now. A trade or two might be the only option to bring both Carlo and McAvoy back. Don Sweeney is on the clock.

What Will the Bruins Do with McAvoy and Carlo

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On Tuesday night the Boston Bruins announced they signed restricted free agent Danton Heinen to a two-year deal with a $2.8 million cap hit. The NHL salary cap for the 2019-2020 season is $81.5 million, and the Bruins have about $8 million available. Now that Heinen is signed, what will be done with Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo? McAvoy played 54 regular season games with 7 goals and 21 assists, totaling 28 points. In the post season he played 23 games with 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points. Carlo played 72 regular season games, tallying 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points. In the postseason he played 24 games with 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points total.

Navigating the Cap

Last season Brandon Carlo was not as productive in points as Charlie McAvoy, but they’re both effective on the ice and bring speed and physicality to the team. Both are also now restricted free agents who want (and deserve) bigger contracts. With so little cap space, however, this will be a difficult task. The Bruins have a few options to explore, the most likely will be to trade players who are older and less productive. Defenseman John Moore, 28, is a likely candidate with a cap hit of $2.75. After 61 games played in the regular season, Moore got only 4 goals and 9 assists for 13 points. He played 10 postseason games and went pointless. Likewise, injury-prone defenseman Kevan Miller, 31, has a cap hit of $2.5 million and missed much of last season and the entirety of the postseason.

Trading Backes

David Backes is the subject of much discussion in this regard. He’s 35 with an annual cap hit of $6 million. He’s not as productive as he once was, and was a healthy scratch during stretches both in the regular and postseason. Trading Backes would free up a lot of space to sign McAvoy and Carlo, but can the Bruins find a team willing to take on those cap hits? There are teams out there with a large enough gap. Teams like Colorado, Winnipeg, and Ottawa all have over $20 million available, and could be good trade targets.

Bridge Contracts

Another option would be bridge contracts. While McAvoy and Carlo likely want larger, long-term contracts, they could be signed to short term contracts with the understanding that they’ll be revisited in a couple of years, once contracts expire for players such as Backes, David Krejci, and Tuukka Rask.

McAvoy is the Priority

One more potential solution, though not necessarily the most desirable, would be to only sign one of the two. If that’s the case, it has to be Charlie McAvoy. His production, ice time, and style of play makes him an obvious franchise player. You can count on the fact that the Bruins will sign McAvoy no matter what.

Boston Bruins prospect watch: Jack Studnicka

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The Bruins have quite arguably the most talented roster in the NHL. Theres a chance that a good chunk of talent could be added to that roster next season. From one guy. From within the organization.

Whats the big idea?

Jack Studnicka is a 20 year old center in the Boston Bruins organization. Hes a physically gifted goal scorer that the Bruins have lacked over recent years. Hands and speed are two words that sum up the game of Studnicka, and he has the stats to back that up. For the 2018-2019 season Studnicka played a total of 60 games in the OHL. 30 games for the Oshawa Generals and 30 games for the Niagara Ice Hogs. A captain for the Generals, he put up 12 goals and 22 assists, totaling 34 points in 30 games. As an assistant captain for the Niagara Ice Dogs he tallied 49 points in 30 games, including 24 goals and 25 assists.

Studnicka is more of a traditional goal scorer than the Bruins roster is used to. For instance, David Pastrnak is the first player that comes to mind when I try to think of a comparison to a current Bruins player. An elite scorer with a little bit of a physical game. However, if Studnicka is doing his thing, he’s scoring goals. Being more of a goal scorer, he doesn’t exactly fit the Bruins traditional third or fourth line guy. The Bruins tend to lean towards bigger, more physical players on the third and fourth lines, while the more skilled guys lead the first and second line. In other words, there might be a little bit of a learning curve in order for Studnicka to fit in.

Will he make the jump?

Jack Studnicka is a natural center. The depth of the Bruins current roster will be Studnicka’s only hurdle from making the team out of camp. With Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Charlie Coyle, and Sean Kuraly, and newly signed Par Lindholm, the center of the ice is a busy place for the Bruins and is by no means a position of need.

The Bruins have never been shy of shifting guys around. Weighing in at 6’1 and 185 lbs, Studnicka doesn’t have many restrictions to stop him from playing any forward roll. With no lineup restrictions, he brings the value of being able to be plugged in anywhere in the lineup.

The style of Studnicka’s game also helps his case to make a run at the roster next season. He’s fast enough to keep up with any pace that the game requires. He can also slow the game down to the pace necessary for him to put the puck in the net. Perhaps Studnicka could play a part in the right wing depth issue for the Bruins that I also talked about here. Don Sweeney has said in interviews that he would be open to the idea of Studnicka playing on the wing. As stated before, Studnicka is a natural center, but Studnicka himself is also open to the roll of a winger.

Time will tell

Jack Studnicka definitely has the talent to play in the NHL. The depth of the Bruins center position will be Studnicka’s biggest hurdle. Injuries are inevitable, and perhaps that’ll be the opportunity that Studnicka needs to prove that he’s worthy of the NHL. Regardless, its only a matter of time before Jack Studnicka is making an impact at the NHL level for the Boston Bruins.

Torey Krug appears to take shot at Kyrie Irving on Twitter

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On Sunday Torey Krug went to social media to point out past quotes by Kyrie Irving. Krug quote tweeted the now infamous Irving statement before this season with the Thinking Emoji and No Mouth Emoji.

“If you guys will have me back,” Irving said to Celtic season ticket holders , “I plan on re-signing here next summer.”

Now, on the surface, this was a simple reaction that many people had at the time. Krug was certainly not the only one to bring up this quote and wonder what had changed for Irving since October.

The more interesting part is reading into what Krug actually means by this. There are certainly reasons to believe that Krug was just having some fun on Twitter, as he did earlier this season at Brad Marchand’s expense. If that is all Krug is doing, then there is nothing more to look into.

However, the timing is a bit interesting for Krug’s tweet. He has a year left on his deal with the Bruins and has made it known that he wants to stay in Boston.

“I would personally love to get something done quickly,” Krug told Matt Porter of the Boston Globe in June. “This is an important place in my heart, a place I’ve wanted to play my whole career. Ideally it would be something that gets done.”

Krug clearly wants to remain a Bruin and could be using this tweet to show he does intend to sign an extension if the Bruins will have him back. That could be a stretch from one social media post, but that is what makes Krug’s tweet so noteworthy. The post is vague enough for fans to apply many theories to its meaning.

Now this tweet obviously does not guarantee he is going to sign a team friendly extension either. Krug could also be subtly saying he would not treat the Boston fans like Irving if he were to leave in free agency.

Krug went on to tell Porter that the Bruins will do whatever is the best option for the organization, and that is the business they are in. With the NHL being a hard cap lead, Boston will need to make tough decisions. Krug understands the business side of the profession.

Having said that, Krug is being honest about what could happen going forward. He wants to stay and win in Boston. However, he does understand that he might be gone in a year.

Torey Krug seems to get where the fans are coming from with the frustration with Irving. If Krug leaves in free agency, he will definitely be on better terms with the organization and fans than Irving.

Obviously this one innocuous post could just be Krug poking fun at Irving’s comments and nothing more. However, it is fair to wonder if there is more meaning behind Krug’s tweet.

Photo Courtesy of the Boston Globe

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Boston Bruins History: The Kraut Line Part 2

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At the height of their success, the Kraut Line for the Boston Bruins was off to war. North America had stayed out of the conflict for the most part, but when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor the future was set. Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer had previously joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and it was time for deployment.

30 January 1942 Medical Exam Recruits: Bobby Bauer; Milt Schmidt; “Woody” Dumart
Photo by DND Archives

When the time came to go to war, the trio of friends were concerned about their German heritage and how it would be perceived by the other troops. Schmidt asked his mother’s permission to change his last name from Schmidt to Smith. His mother gave permission but ultimately Schmidt thought better of it. Speaking with Jeff Blair of Sportsnet in 2014, Milt said, “To heck with it. What was good enough for my mother and dad is good enough for me.” It turned out to be a moot point, as well. The troops knew quite well who he was and were more than happy to have him with them.

Hockey During the War

During World War II Dumart and Schmidt were stationed in northern England. They were there for three years and, despite the war, couldn’t leave hockey on hold. Since they couldn’t play in the NHL, they joined the RCAF League consisting of 12 teams. Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart played for opposing teams, and Dumart’s won the Championship. The following season, however, revenge would be had when Bobby Bauer arrived in England and was assigned to Schmidt’s team. They beat Dumart’s team and won the Championship in 1944. Perfectly summing up the talent of the trio of The Kraut Line, even when separated, they each won a hockey championship in consecutive seasons.

Milt Schmidt showing off his RCAF hockey gear.
Photo by DND Archives

In 1945 it was finally time to come home. Milt Schmidt later recalled, “Bob went home first. I remember that. Woody and I ended up on the same boat home. Actually, he was going to be going home before I did because I was going to be assigned to another post in the east. I’m not sure I ever knew where that post was. But then good ol’ Harry (Truman) saved me. He dropped the bomb and that ended it.”

Returning Home and to the Bruins

Upon their return home, the Kraut Line reunited with the Boston Bruins for the 1946 season. They hadn’t missed a beat, they were on form and dominating games. And they returned to a bit of controversy as well. Not wanting to be considered politically incorrect after the war, the Bruins held a contest to rename “The Kraut Line”. The winning nickname was “The Buddy Line”. The fans never took the new name seriously, and it only lasted about a month before “The Kraut Line” was permanently reattached to the trio.

While they returned to form and played their always fierce and intense game, Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumont wouldn’t win another Stanley Cup as players (though Schmidt would win two more in 1970 and ’72 as Bruins General Manager). Bobby Bauer won the Lady Byng again in 1947, and Schmidt won the Hart Trophy for MVP in 1951.

The End of an Era

The Kraut Line officially ended with Bauer’s retirement in 1947. Dumart retired in 1954, and Schmidt retired part-way through the following season to take over as the Bruins head coach. All three of them played their entire careers for the Boston Bruins. After his retirement, Bobby Bauer went back to Kitchener, Ontario, where he coached several amateur hockey teams. He died of a heart attack in 1964, at the age of 49. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.

Woodrow Wilson Clarence “Woody” Dumart remained in Boston, where he worked as the official scorer at Boston Garden, as well as being the coach of the Bruins’ Alumni Association Team. He died from heart failure in 2001 at age 84. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.

Milt Schmidt went from star Bruins player to Bruins Head Coach for 11 seasons before becoming General Manager. He won a total of four Stanley Cups, all with the Bruins organization. In 1980 Schmidt’s #15 jersey was retired, and to this day he’s known as “The Ultimate Bruin”. Schmidt died of a stroke in 2017 at the age of 98. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. The Kraut Line is arguably the greatest line in the history of hockey. But they’re more than just a catchy name. These were men of honor. They had a sense of pride and a sense of duty. And they were better at hockey than everyone else.