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Milt Schmidt

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Milt Schmidt
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1961
Born (1918-03-05)March 5, 1918
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Died January 4, 2017(2017-01-04) (aged 98)
Westwood, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Playing career 1936–1942
1945–1955

Milton Conrad Schmidt (March 5, 1918 – January 4, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, coach and general manager, mostly for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL), where he was a member of the Kraut Line. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. In 2017, Schmidt was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.[1]

Early years

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Schmidt's early years were spent in Kitchener, where he attended King Edward Public School. In high school, he briefly attended Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School, but dropped out at age 14 to work to support his family (his father had become too ill to work regularly), and took a job at a shoe factory. He made 18 cents per hour ($3.77 per hour in 2023 dollars[2]) while working there and claimed that he knew the value of the dollar.[3] He continued playing 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 the age of 20, while playing for the Boston Bruins' AHL farm team, the Providence Reds, Schmidt was invited to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals pro baseball team, but knew himself well enough from his youth baseball experience that while he could hit the ball out of the park, he would strike out many more times than hitting home runs.[4]

Playing career

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Playing

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Schmidt played junior hockey with Dumart and Bauer in Kitchener, Ontario, before their rights were all acquired by the Bruins in 1935.[5] After playing a final year of junior hockey in Kitchener, Ontario, and half a year with the Providence Reds, Schmidt was called up to the Bruins during the 1937 season. He quickly proved himself to be a hardnosed centre, a skilled stick handler and smooth playmaker.[6]

Schmidt and his childhood friends Bauer and Dumart were teamed up together in the NHL as well. They formed the Kraut Line and were a strong and dependable line for the Bruins for most of the following fifteen seasons. They were a key ingredient to the Bruins' success as they rampaged to the regular season title and a hard-fought Stanley Cup victory in 1939.[6] The following season Schmidt became a star, as he led the league in scoring and guided the Bruins to another first-place finish and the third-most goals in team history to date.

Schmidt, circa 1942

The 1941 season saw Schmidt spearhead the Bruins to their second Cup win in three years. However, the powerhouse Brown and Gold were decimated by World War II the following year as Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart enlisted in the Canadian military, and superstar American goaltender Frank Brimsek enlisted with the United States Coast Guard. The Kraut Line found success playing hockey for the Ottawa RCAF team by winning the Allan Cup before heading overseas. Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart ultimately missed three productive NHL seasons due to their service in the War.

Schmidt returned for the beginning of the 1946 season. He resumed his starring ways and finished fourth in league scoring in 1947. Named captain in 1951, Schmidt won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player that year.[citation needed]

In the later part of his career, Schmidt became friends with journalist Leo Monahan who travelled with the team on overnight train rides. One train ride Schmidt recalled that "Leo was in the berth above me and I was down below. Throughout the night, he told me, he did not move for fear he would do something that would keep me awake".[7]

Schmidt retired as a player partway through the 1954–1955 season to take over head coaching duties, replacing Lynn Patrick.

Coaching

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Schmidt coached the Bruins up to the 1966 season with a year and a half hiatus, leading them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1957 and 1958. He also was Boston's assistant general manager.

After coaching the Bruins for 11 seasons Schmidt was promoted to the general manager position in 1967 just as the league ushered in six new franchises, doubling in size.[6] Schmidt proved to be a great architect in the new era of the NHL, acquiring and drafting several key players to build a Bruins team that won two more Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972. His biggest deal was a blockbuster as he acquired Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield from the Chicago Black Hawks in exchange for Pit Martin, Gilles Marotte and Jack Norris.

After his long and loyal career in the Bruins organization, Schmidt left the team to become the first General Manager of the expansion Washington Capitals on April 20, 1973.[8] Unfortunately for Schmidt, the Capitals set a benchmark in futility that still stands as an NHL record today, as the new franchise finished the year with a minuscule 21 points with the worst record in the 18-team league (8–67–5).[6]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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  • Bold indicates led league
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1933–34 Kitchener Empires OHA-Jr. 7 2 4 6 2 4 2 3 5 0
1933–34 Kitchener Greenshirts OHA-Jr. 17 20 6 26 14 3 2 2 4 0
1935–36 Kitchener Greenshirts OHA-Jr. 5 4 3 7 2 4 4 1 5 11
1936–37 Boston Bruins NHL 26 2 8 10 15 3 0 0 0 0
1936–37 Providence Reds IAHL 23 8 1 9 12 — — — — —
1937–38 Boston Bruins NHL 44 13 14 27 15 3 0 0 0 0
1938–39 Boston Bruins NHL 41 15 17 32 13 12 3 3 6 2
1939–40 Boston Bruins NHL 48 22 30 52 37 6 0 0 0 4
1940–41 Boston Bruins NHL 45 13 25 38 23 11 5 6 11 9
1941–42 Boston Bruins NHL 36 14 21 35 34 — — — — —
1941–42 Ottawa RCAF Flyers OCHL — — — — — 6 4 7 11 10
1941–42 Ottawa RCAF Flyers Al-Cup — — — — — 13 6 17 23 19
1944–45 Middleton RCAF Exhib. — — — — — — — — — —
1945–46 Boston Bruins NHL 48 13 18 31 21 10 3 5 8 2
1946–47 Boston Bruins NHL 59 27 35 62 40 5 3 1 4 4
1947–48 Boston Bruins NHL 33 9 17 26 28 5 2 5 7 2
1948–49 Boston Bruins NHL 44 10 22 32 25 4 0 2 2 8
1949–50 Boston Bruins NHL 68 19 22 41 41 — — — — —
1950–51 Boston Bruins NHL 62 22 39 61 33 6 0 1 1 7
1951–52 Boston Bruins NHL 69 21 29 50 57 7 2 1 3 0
1952–53 Boston Bruins NHL 68 11 23 34 30 10 5 1 6 6
1953–54 Boston Bruins NHL 62 14 18 32 28 4 1 0 1 20
1954–55 Boston Bruins NHL 23 4 8 12 26 — — — — —
NHL totals 776 229 346 575 466 86 24 25 49 64

Career coaching record

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Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division Rank Result
Boston Bruins 1954–55 40 13 12 15 (41) 4th in NHL Lost in semi-finals
1955–56 70 23 34 17 59 5th in NHL Missed Playoffs
1956–57 70 34 24 12 80 3rd in NHL Lost in Cup Finals
1957–58 70 27 28 15 69 3rd in NHL Lost in Cup Finals
1958–59 70 32 29 9 73 2nd in NHL Lost in semi-finals
1959–60 70 28 34 8 64 5th in NHL Missed Playoffs
1960–61 70 15 42 13 43 6th in NHL Missed Playoffs
1962–63 56 13 31 12 (38) 6th in NHL Missed Playoffs
1963–64 70 18 40 12 48 6th in NHL Missed Playoffs
1964–65 70 21 43 6 43 6th in NHL Missed Playoffs
1965–66 70 21 43 6 48 5th in NHL Missed Playoffs
Washington Capitals 1974–75 8 2 6 0 (4) 5th in Norris Missed Playoffs
1975–76 36 3 28 5 (11) 5th in Norris (fired)
Total 770 257 410 127
Milt Schmidt at a public autograph signing on March 6, 2011

Retirement and death

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Schmidt was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 and his #15 jersey was retired by the Bruins. After he retired from hockey management, Schmidt remained involved with the Bruins through their alumni team and as manager of the Boards and Blades Club at the Boston Garden. On October 6, 2010, the Bruins celebrated Schmidt's 75 years with the team during Milt Schmidt Night. On this night he received 2 commemorative Stanley Cup miniatures to represent the two cups he had brought to the club, plus he raised his number to the rafters inside TD Garden. He was the last surviving member of both the Bruins' 1939 and 1941 Stanley Cup teams. Schmidt was also the last living NHL player to play in the 1930s and the last to have played against the Montreal Maroons (a team that folded in 1938).

On October 20, 2016, Schmidt along with Bobby Orr dropped the ceremonial puck at the Boston Bruins' first home game of the season.[9]

Schmidt died after a stroke on January 4, 2017, in a retirement facility in Westwood, Massachusetts;[10] at the age of 98; at the time of his death he was the oldest living former NHL player, and the last living player from the AHL's inaugural season.[11][12][13] Following Schmidt's death, Chick Webster became the oldest living NHL player. Schmidt is buried alongside his wife at the Highland Cemetery in Dover, Massachusetts.

Tribute

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Upon hearing of Schmidt's death, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman issued the following statement: "It would be a challenge to find anyone who took greater pride in being a Boston Bruin than Milt Schmidt did--be it as a player, an executive or an ambassador over the 80-plus years he served the franchise, the city of Boston and the National Hockey League. Milt's respect for the game was matched by his humility and was mirrored by the great respect with which his opponents, and generations of Bruins players, treated him through the years."[14]

Awards and achievements

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References

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  1. ^ a b "100 Greatest NHL Players". National Hockey League. January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  2. ^ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  3. ^ Hicks, Jeff (November 4, 2006). "Kitchener's Great One". The Record, Kitchener, Ontario. p. A1, A8, A9.
  4. ^ Bailey, Arnold (September 10, 2008). "Pesky, Schmidt share a Boston bond for life". sportscollectorsdigest.com. Retrieved January 17, 2017. "It was around 1938 that I was invited to a tryout by the St. Louis Cardinals," Schmidt recalled. "I had been an outfielder, and at bat, I'd either hit the ball out of the park or end up walking back to the dugout (after a strikeout). Unfortunately, I ended up walking back to the dugout more than I ended up running around the bases." Schmidt never followed up on the Cardinals' invitation. "In Boston, we were in a fight for the Stanley Cup, anyway, and I was just too busy with that to give baseball much thought," he said.
  5. ^ Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000) [1998]. Total Hockey: Second Edition. Total Sports Publishing, Kingston, New York. pp. 655, 698, 802.
  6. ^ a b c d Скончался член Зала славы НХЛ Милт Шмидт
  7. ^ Marquard, Bryan (April 2, 2013). "D. Leo Monahan, 86; Boston sports reporter, columnist". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts.
  8. ^ "'Express' Enters Indy 500," Daytona Beach (FL) Sunday News-Journal, Sunday, April 22, 1973. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  9. ^ Goss, Nicholas (October 20, 2016). "Bruins Legends Bobby Orr, Milt Schmidt Take Part In Special Puck Drop Ceremony". NESN.com. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  10. ^ "MILTON CONRAD SCHMIDT Obituary (1918-2017) Boston Globe". Legacy.com.
  11. ^ "Bruins legend Milt Schmidt dies at 98". Boston Globe.
  12. ^ jreiser (January 4, 2017). "Milt Schmidt Passes Away at 98". Stanley Cup of Chowder. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  13. ^ Shinzawa, Fluto (January 7, 2017). "The state of the NHL leaves much to be desired. Here are 7 fixes to improve it". Boston Globe.
  14. ^ "Bruins great Milt Schmidt dies at 98". bangordailynews.com. Bangor Daily News. January 4, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  15. ^ "What Joe Sakic Means to the Avalanche". July 7, 2022.

NESN October 28, 2010

[edit]
Sporting positions
Preceded by General Manager of the Boston Bruins
1967–72 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Head coach of the Boston Bruins
1954–61
1963–66 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Position created
 General Manager of the Washington Capitals
1974–76 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Head coach of the Washington Capitals
1975 1975 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Boston Bruins captain
1947–54 		Succeeded by
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of the Hart Trophy
1951 		Succeeded by
Preceded by NHL Scoring Champion
1940 		Succeeded by
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