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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.

Bruins Coach Milt Schmidt
Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Boston Bruins History: The Kraut Line Part 1

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From 1937 to 1947 one of the most dominant lines in hockey belonged to the Boston Bruins. Left Winger Woody Dumart, Center Milt Schmidt (who’s well known as The Ultimate Bruin), and Right Winger Bobby Bauer made up what was originally named the “Sauerkraut Line” for their German heritage. The nickname was quickly shortened to “The Kraut Line”. The three grew up playing hockey together in Kitchener, Ontario and made their way through the ranks together. By the time they got to the NHL their skills were well known. So was their nickname.

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Dominating the NHL

The trio led the Bruins to two Stanley Cup victories in 1939 and 1941 and went 1, 2, and 3 in NHL scoring during the 1939-40 season. In that 39-40 season Milt Schmidt finished first in the NHL with 52 points. Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer finished second and third in the NHL with 43 points each. That year Bauer won the Lady Byng Trophy for the NHL’s “Most Gentlemanly Player”, while Schmidt was elected to the First All-Star Team and Bauer and Dumart were elected to the Second All-Star Team.

Milt Schmidt later recollected, “There are several reasons why we had success that year. The three of us roomed together in Brookline, Massachusetts. We had one big room so that we were always together. After practices we discussed things we should work on. After a game we’d say, ‘Well we did this wrong or did that wrong.’ There was no nightlife or anything like that. We really worked at it and I think that had more to do with the success of our line than anything else. To finish one-two-three… I don’t know of any other line that did that before us and we were quite proud of the fact. Hard work. That was it.”

Rivalries Put on Hold

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When World War II started, Schmidt, Dumart, and Bauer joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. They continued playing for the Bruins until it was time for deployment overseas in 1942. On February 10, 1942, the Boston Bruins played against the Montreal Canadiens at the Boston Garden. It’s no secret that the Bruins/Canadiens rivalry is the oldest and bitterest in hockey. That night the Bruins put a beating on Montreal, winning 8-1. But this was no ordinary game. This was the last game The Kraut Line would play before going overseas to fight for the Allies. Accordingly, for the first and only time, the rivalry was put aside. After losing in Boston, the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins together hoisted all three members of The Kraut Line onto their shoulders and skated them around the ice.

Milt Schmidt talked about that night to the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont in 2010. “It shows you that out on the ice you’re enemies, but as soon as you’re off the ice, you can be good friends. To be treated like that, Bob, Woody, and I, before going into the service, it’s such a credit to the Canadiens, as players and people.” And with that, The Kraut Line was off to war. Hockey would have to wait.

Ted Williams Documentary Is a Smashing Hit

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American Masters aired a documentary on PBS Monday night to chronicle the life of Ted Williams. The film didn’t introduce any revelations, but they did have new color footage of Ted Williams homering in his final at-bat. Even without bringing anything new to light, the documentary was definitely worth a watch. Scanning film on one of the best hitters of all time and hearing people talk about him will never grow boring.

Playing Days

Ted Williams famously hit .406 in 1941, his third season in the big leagues. The film discussed the famous story of his refusal to sit out the final day of the season. Going into that final day, his average would have finished at .400 if rounded up. Given the option to sit and take the .400, Williams opted to play and proceeded to go 6-8 on the doubleheader, raising his average to .406.

Another famous story, which will never grow old, was when Williams returned from Korea. After not having held a bat in 456 days, Williams took batting practice at Fenway Park upon his return. After a couple line drives, Williams started launching home run after home run. At one point, he homered on 13 consecutive swings. When he returned to the playing field, Williams batted .407 and hit 13 home runs in only 91 at-bats. His OPS was an astounding 1.410. All of this was accomplished after just coming back from fighting a war.

The Final At Bat – In Color

Williams played injured in 1959 and had the only poor season of his career. Not wanting to end his career like that, Williams was determined to come back. When Tom Yawkey offered him the same pay, Williams rejected it and said he hadn’t earned it with his play, insisting on a pay cut. Can you imagine any modern player arguing for a pay cut? Williams proceeded to have an excellent season in 1960, on way to his best HR/AB ratio of his career. In his final major league game, the weather was cold and dreary and the balls weren’t traveling well. Williams had two deep fly outs in the game that likely would have cleared the fence on a warmer, dryer day. In his final at-bat, he rocked a homer. This documentary aired never before seen color footage of that home run.

Lasting Legacy

Williams was a proponent of hitting fly balls and being selective at the plate. The modern “fly ball revolution,” as it’s been termed, can be traced back to Ted Williams. Wade Boggs was interviewed in the film and gave an interesting ode to Teddy Ballgame. Boggs was struggling his senior season. He then read Ted Williams book, “The Science of Hitting.” After reading that book, Boggs batted .485 the rest of the season and was drafted by the Red Sox.

When Williams was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966, he included in his speech notes about great Negro League players and why he hoped to see them join him in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The people at the Hall of Fame saw these notes ahead of time and asked him not to read them when he spoke. However, Williams didn’t listen. He championed the great Negro League players during his induction speech and within a few years, some of them were elected.

Ted Williams giving his Hall of Fame speech in 1966.

Personal Life

The documentary covered what a difficult person Williams was to live with. He didn’t treat his wives very well, he wasn’t a tenderly parent, and he mostly did his own thing. However, it also showed what a good person he could be. The most touching part of the film was the stories of visiting sick kids at the hospital. Teddy Ballgame refused to allow the press acknowledge his presence at these visits, which speaks to his true character. Williams always donated generously to the Jimmy Fund and visited the sick children. There was one story in particular that stood out; one day when visiting a sick child, the child gripped Ted’s finger and wouldn’t let go. Instead of forcing himself away, Williams had a nurse pull up a cot for him and he stayed by the child’s side, letting the child hold his finger until he fell asleep.

Working off of that, Williams would often go to fellow retired ballplayers, asking for donations to the Jimmy Fund. If one happened to be down on their luck, Williams would ask that they just write a ten dollar check. Once he had the check, Williams would take the account numbers from the check and have $1000 deposited into their account.

An Odd Interview

There was a peculiar moment caught on camera with Ted Williams’ daughter, Cindy. An interview with her on many topics was included in several instances of the film. She always looked into the camera, answering questions and telling stories. However, when asked about and then discussing Ted Williams “wanting” to be frozen, she never looked at the camera. The whole time she spoke, she gazed downward at the table and at her hands. It certainly gave one pause. Could there be an untold story here?

Overall Grade

The documentary was as enlightening as it was entertaining. While much of the famed folklore was recounted, some interesting glances into Williams’ personal psychic were also allowed. For any Red Sox fan, it’s a must-see. For any baseball fans, it’s a must see. Once again, the story of the greatest hitter who ever lived has been brought back to life.

Final Grade: 4.5/5 stars