Milt Schmidt

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Lore & Background

Schmidt's early years were spent in Kitchener, where he attended King Edward Public School. He briefly attended Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School but dropped out at age 14 to work at a shoe factory, making 18 cents per hour. He played junior hockey with the Kitchener Empires and Kitchener Greenshirts. Schmidt was a childhood friend of fellow Hall of Famers Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer. At age 20, while playing for the Providence Reds, he was invited to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals pro baseball team but knew he would strike out more often than hitting home runs. Schmidt played junior hockey with Dumart and Bauer in Kitchener before their rights were acquired by the Bruins in 1935. After a final year of junior hockey and half a year with the Providence Reds, Schmidt was called up to the Bruins during the 1937 season. He quickly proved himself a hardnosed centre, skilled stick handler and smooth playmaker. The Kraut Line was a strong and dependable line for the Bruins for most of the following fifteen seasons. They were key to the Bruins' success as they rampaged to four straight regular season titles and a Stanley Cup victory in 1939. The following season Schmidt led the league in scoring and guided the Bruins to another first-place finish. That year the Kraut line made history with Schmidt leading the NHL in points with 52 while Dumart and Bauer finished second and third respectively with 43 each—the first time three linemates finished in the top three spots in NHL scoring. The 1941 season saw Schmidt spearhead the Bruins to their second Cup win in three years with 38 points and a postseason high 11 points in 11 playoff games. The powerhouse Bruins were decimated by World War II as Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart enlisted in the Canadian military. In their final game before deployment, the Kraut Line recorded eight points in a dominating victory over the Montreal Canadiens. While training in Ottawa, they played for the Ottawa RCAF Flyers, winning the Ottawa City Hockey League championship and the Allan Cup. Schmidt and Dumart served as members of a Bomber squadron; Bauer served as a radio technician. They missed three productive NHL seasons due to the war. Schmidt returned for the 1946 season, reuniting with the Kraut line. He finished fourth in league scoring in 1947 with a career-high 62 points (27 goals, 35 assists). Named captain in 19

In Their Own Story

In his youth in Kitchener, Schmidt dropped out of high school at age 14 to work at a shoe factory, earning 18 cents an hour ($3.94 in 2025 dollars). He continued playing junior hockey with the Empires and Greenshirts before joining the Providence Reds. At age 20, he tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team but wisely declined, knowing he would strike out more than hit home runs. His NHL career began mid-1937, where he proved himself a hard-nosed center with smooth playmaking skills. In the later part of his career, Schmidt shared train rides with journalist Leo Monahan; Schmidt recalled that Monahan refused to move from his upper berth all night for fear of disturbing him. Schmidt retired as a player mid-season in 1954–1955 to take over head coaching duties, replacing Lynn Patrick.

Reader's Guide

Milt Schmidt is a legendary figure in Boston Bruins history, having served as player, captain, coach, and general manager. He was the centre of the famed Kraut Line with Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart, leading the Bruins to Stanley Cup championships in 1939 and 1941. After retiring as a player, he coached the Bruins for 11 seasons and later served as general manager, building the team that won Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 and named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in 2017.

Did You Know?

• Schmidt dropped out of school at age 14 to work in a shoe factory, earning 18 cents per hour.
• The Kraut Line became the first line in NHL history to finish first, second, and third in league scoring in 1939–40.
• Schmidt won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 1951.
• He was the last surviving member of the Bruins' 1939 and 1941 Stanley Cup teams.
• At the time of his death, Schmidt was the oldest living former NHL player.