Boston Bruins: The Night the Rivalry Was Put on Hold

On Feb. 10, 1942, the Boston Bruins faced off against the Montreal Canadiens at Boston Garden. While a hockey game in Boston on a Tuesday night in February may seem ordinary, this particular game carried a lot of emotion and it had little to do with the game itself.

Two months earlier in December of 1941, the Japanese bombed the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, causing America and its allies to join the Second World War.  Men in their early to mid-20s were all subject to being called up to join the war effort and professional athletes were no exception.

In the lineup on the night of Feb. 10, 1942, were three men who were the backbone of the team, Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer. All of them hailed from Kitchener, Ontario, a primarily German community and were of German descent themselves. While playing for the Bruins' farm team in 1936 they earned the nickname “The Sauerkraut Line.” By the time they reached Boston the nickname would be shortened to “The Kraut Line.”

Today, NBC dubs Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak as the “Perfection Line,” but The Kraut Line truly was “The Perfection Line.” The three of them were so dominant that they managed to finish first, second and third in scoring in the entire NHL during the 1939-40 season. They were also part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1939 and 1941.

As war was breaking out in Europe, they felt it was their duty to enlist. Together they enlisted in the Royal Canadian Airforce. By early 1942 the Kraut Line prepared to be shipped overseas, but before that could happen, one more game needed to be played.

That game on Feb. 10, 1942, would prove to be one of the most memorable in Boston Bruins history. On an emotionally charged night, the Bruins knew they needed the win. By the end of the first period, they found themselves with a 2-1 lead. By the end of the second period, they added to the score by making it a 4-1 game, and by the time the game came to a close the Bruins scored another four goals bringing the final score to 8-1. 

The Kraut Line put on a masterful performance. Dumart scored the Bruins third goal. Milt Schmidt would then get the assist on the fourth goal, scored just 11 seconds later by Jack Shewchuk. Finally, in the third period, Bobby Bauer scored two goals of his own, giving each of them four points by the final buzzer.

At the end of the game, they were sent out to center ice where Bruins management presented them with full-season paychecks and bonuses. General manager, Art Ross, along with his sons then gifted them with watches. Ross called them “the most loyal and courageous players in Bruins history.” 

To top it off their teammates presented them with engraved bracelets. Bauer said over the loudspeaker, “I have never been more speechless in my whole life. You will all be proud of us.” 

As the men left the ice the Montreal Canadiens players put their bitter rivalry aside and helped carry them off to war. Milt Schmidt later said about the special moment, “It just goes to show that you can have pretty bitter enemies out on that ice but after the game is over we are all friends and I think that has a lot to say about the people who play the game.”

Related: Boston Bruins and Pride Jerseys to Target for Christmas

They would end up playing for the Royal Canadian Airforce hockey team. Schmidt and Dumart would actually play against each other in England.

The three of them wouldn’t all return to Boston until 1946 and by 1954 they would all be retired. 

There are a lot of iconic images captured in Bruins history, but the video of the Kraut Line being carried off by their bitter rivals is truly something special.

To view the full video on YouTube, click here