By: Camryn Meece | Follow me on Twitter / X @MeeceCamryn
In 1921, Kitchener, Ontario, had a population of 21,763 people. From those 21,763 people came three childhood friends who would become one of the most dominant lines in Boston Bruins history. Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer, and Woody Dumart, better known as the “Kraut Line,” would help transform the Bruins into one of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) premier teams, win two Stanley Cups, make NHL history, and establish themselves as three of the most accomplished players of their generation.
The three friends began making a name for themselves in the Kitchener-Waterloo hockey scene before their paths eventually led them to the Bruins. Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart played together with the Kitchener Greenshirts for youth and junior hockey.
Their success with the Kitchener Greenshirts eventually caught the attention of Bruins general manager Art Ross. Bauer was the first of the three to join the Bruins organization, playing for the Boston Cubs in 1935. Meanwhile, Schmidt and Dumart continued playing in Kitchener, helping lead the Greenshirts to the 1935–36 Ontario Hockey Association finals.
After seeing what Schmidt and Dumart could do in Kitchener, Ross brought the two forwards into the Bruins organization to join Bauer. The three friends were reunited in 1936 with the Providence Reds, Boston’s American Hockey League affiliate. Schmidt took the center position, with Dumart on the left wing and Bauer on the right. The three quickly became one of the Reds’ most productive lines.
In Providence, the trio also received the nickname that would follow them for the rest of their careers. Reds coach Al Leduc called them the “Sauerkraut Line,” a reference to their German heritage. The name was eventually shortened to the “Kraut Line,” and it followed the three friends when they jumped to Boston.
The three didn’t spend the entire season in Providence, however. Schmidt was called up to Boston midway through the season, while Bauer earned a late-season call-up after scoring 14 goals in 44 games with the Reds. Dumart also made his NHL debut that season. In total, the three friends appeared in 87 games for Providence during the 1936–37 season.
By the 1937–38 season, the three friends had earned full-time spots with the Bruins. Milt Schmidt centered the line, with Woody Dumart on the left wing and Bobby Bauer on the right. It was the same combination that had worked in Providence, and Boston kept it together.
Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart played together for the first time as a line in the NHL on November 6, 1937, against the Montreal Maroons at the Montreal Forum. The line already knew each other’s game by the time they reached Boston. Years of playing together had given them an understanding that was difficult to teach. They knew where to find one another on the ice and seemed to have an instinct for where their linemates would be. During their first season, the trio helped the Bruins finish first in the American Division.
The following season, the Bruins won their first Stanley Cup since 1929. Boston defeated the New York Rangers in the semifinals before facing the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup Final. The Bruins won the series in five games, giving Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart their first championship together.
The 1939–40 season was the year the Kraut Line made NHL history. Schmidt, Dumart, and Bauer finished the regular season as the league’s top three scorers, becoming the first line in NHL history to accomplish the feat. Schmidt led the NHL with 52 points in 48 games, scoring 22 goals and adding 30 assists. Dumart finished second with 43 points, also scoring 22 goals, while Bauer finished third with 43 points after recording 17 goals and 26 assists.
The Bruins finished the regular season with the best record in the NHL for the third consecutive season. The team’s success earned the Kraut Line plenty of recognition, with Schmidt being named to the First All-Star Team and Dumart and Bauer earning Second Team honors. The Bruins’ season ultimately ended in the first round of the playoffs, when they lost to the New York Rangers in six games. Still, the season cemented the Kraut Line’s place among the NHL’s best.
The Kraut Line continued to play a major role for the Bruins over the next season. In 1940–41, Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart once again finished among Boston’s top scorers, helping the Bruins finish first in the American Division with a 27–8–13 record. That dominance helped carry them into the playoffs, where the Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the semifinals before facing the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final.
Boston won the series in four straight games, giving the franchise its second Stanley Cup in three seasons. For Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart, it was their second championship together. The three had now been part of both of Boston’s Stanley Cup victories since 1929.
In the middle of the 1941–42 season, Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart left the Bruins to join the Royal Canadian Air Force. Before leaving, however, they had one final game together. On February 10, 1942, the Bruins faced the Montreal Canadiens at Boston Garden. The three forwards put together one of their best performances of the season, combining for 11 points in an 8–1 Bruins victory. After the final buzzer, players from both teams gathered around Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart and carried the three Bruins around the ice as the crowd cheered. It was their final game together before leaving the Bruins.
Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart spent the next three years serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force. They returned to Boston for the 1945–46 season, reuniting with the Bruins nearly four years after their final game together. The three continued playing together, although the Bruins had changed during their time away. They stayed with Boston for several more seasons before their careers eventually ended.
Schmidt retired from playing in December 1954 and immediately became the Bruins’ head coach, a position he held until 1961. He returned behind the bench in 1962 and coached the team through 1966 before becoming the Bruins’ general manager in 1967. He helped build the Bruins teams that won the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972. Bauer and Dumart also remained involved in hockey after their playing days. All three were later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame: Schmidt in 1961, Dumart in 1992, and Bauer in 1996.
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