Woody Dumart

Woody Dumart
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1992
Dumart, circa 1942
Born	(1916-12-23)December 23, 1916 Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Died	October 19, 2001(2001-10-19) (aged 84) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins
Playing career	1935–1954

Woodrow Wilson Clarence Dumart (December 23, 1916 – October 19, 2001) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, most notably for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He was a member of the famed "Kraut Line" with teammates Milt Schmidt and Bobby Bauer. The trio led the Bruins to two Stanley Cup championships and became the first line to finish first, second and third in NHL scoring, in 1939–40. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Dumart's uncle Ezra Dumart was also a professional ice hockey player.

Amateur career

Dumart was raised in Kitchener, Ontario. He played his junior hockey with the Kitchener Greenshirts of the Ontario Hockey Association on a line with childhood friends Milt Schmidt and Bobby Bauer, which was dubbed the "Kraut line" by Albert Leduc, a defenceman for the Montreal Canadien Due to all 3 men having German heritage . All three players were signed by the Boston Bruins,and Dumart was assigned to the Boston Cubs of the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) for the 1935–36 season.

Professional career

During the 1935-36 season Dumart would appear in 46 games for the Cubs scoring 21 points. He would also make his debut for the Bruins appearing in one game for the team as well during the season. He would then spend the bulk of the 1936–37 seasons in the minor leagues with the Boston Cubs of the Can-Am League, Dumart made the Bruins for good in early 1937. Reunited with Schmidt and Bauer, the trio become one of the most famous lines in hockey history. Dumart scored his first NHL goal on February 21, 1937, in a 2–2 tie versus the Montreal Canadiens at Boston Garden. Dumart – at 6'1", one of the largest wingers of his day – was the skilled checking and defensive component to the line, while contributing good scoring. The trio led the Bruins to the team's first of four consecutive Prince of Wales Trophy wins as the NHL's best team in the regular season. Following a 29-point regular season in 1938–39, Dumart added 4 points in 12 playoff games. The Bruins eliminated the New York Rangers, then defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to one to capture Boston's first Stanley Cup championship in ten years. The following year In 1939–40, Schmidt led the NHL in points with 52 while Dumart and Bauer finished second and third respectively with 43 each. It was the first time in league history that three linemates finished in the top three spots in NHL scoring. This would lead to Dumart being named to the second All-Star team for the 1939–40 season. The following season Dumart would have another good season scoring 18 goals and 15 assists helping the Bruins win the 1941 Stanley cup. Dumart would then once again be named to the Second All-Star for the 1940–41 season.

Then World War II intervened – leading to the line being renamed, briefly and abortively, the "Kitchener Kids" due to anti-German sentiment – and Dumart enlisted with teammates Schmidt, Bauer and Frank Brimsek. In their final game with the Bruins before deployment, the Kraut Line recorded eight points in a dominating victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Following the contest, players from both teams fêted the trio, hoisting them up on their shoulders and parading them around the ice. Schmidt, Dumart and Bauer were the first NHL players to join the Royal Canadian Air Force, joining halfway through the 1941–42 season while training in Ottawa, they joined the Ottawa RCAF Flyers of the Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL). The trio helped the Flyers win the Allan Cup as Canadian senior champions. Dumart scored over a goal a game in leading the team to the title. He played briefly in the fall of 1942 for the Flyers before being shipped overseas, where he served until the end of the war. Dumart and Schmidt would serve as a member of a Bomber squadron and Bauer would serve as a radio technician.

Dumart returned in 1945 reuniting with the Kraut line and played nine more seasons for Boston, and was named a Second Team All-Star for the third time in 1947 that year he would have a career best 52 point season with 24 goals and 28 assists. This would also lead to Dumart being selected to the play in the 1st annual all star game in 1947. He would also be selected again the following year in 1948 after scoring 21 goals ans 16 assists. Dumart would continue to put up solid numbers for the bruins for the next 4 seasons.

On March 26, 1949, Dumart scored a game-winning overtime goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs versus Toronto.

His scoring skills diminishing in his final years, he ended his NHL career with Boston after the 1954 playoffs. He played one last stint the following season with the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League, suiting up for fifteen games before hanging up his skates at last.

Retirement

Dumart retired having played sixteen NHL seasons in all, scoring 211 goals and 218 assists for 429 points in 772 games.

He settled in the Boston area, had three children, remained active with charities, and coached the Bruins' Alumni Association team.

On his way to Ray Bourque Night, with his son Jeff Dumart, at the FleetCenter, Woody suddenly became ill with heart trouble and was taken to the hospital, where he died on October 19, 2001.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. Then most recently in 2023 he was named one of the top 100 Bruins player of all time.

Achievements

• Retired as the leading scoring left wing in Bruins' history and remains fourth in that category, as well as in games played.
• Stanley cup champion in 1939 and 1941
• Allan Cup 1942
• Named to the NHL Second All-Star team in 1940, 1941, 1947
• Played in the first two annual NHL All-Star Games, in 1947 and 1948.
• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992
• Named One of the Top 100 Best Bruins Players of all Time.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1933–34	Kitchener Empires	OHA-Jr.		12	8	3	11	12		3	1	3	4	0
1934–35	Kitchener Greenshirts	OHA-Jr.		17	17	11	28	10		3	3	1	4	2
1935–36	Boston Bruins	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1935–36	Boston Cubs	Can-Am		46	11	10	21	15		—	—	—	—	—
1936–37	Boston Bruins	NHL		17	4	4	8	2		3	0	0	0	0
1936–37	Providence Reds	IAHL		34	4	7	11	10		—	—	—	—	—
1937–38	Boston Bruins	NHL		48	13	14	27	6		3	0	0	0	0
1938–39	Boston Bruins	NHL		46	14	15	29	2		12	1	3	4	6
1939–40	Boston Bruins	NHL		48	22	21	43	16		6	1	0	1	0
1940–41	Boston Bruins	NHL		40	18	15	33	2		11	1	3	4	9
1941–42	Boston Bruins	NHL		35	14	15	29	8		—	—	—	—	—
1941–42	Ottawa RCAF Flyers	OCHL		—	—	—	—	—		6	7	5	12	2
1941–42	Ottawa RCAF Flyers	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		13	14	9	23	8
1942–43	Ottawa RCAF Flyers	OHA-Sr.		6	6	5	11	—		—	—	—	—	—
1942–43	Millward-St. George	Britain		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1945–46	Boston Bruins	NHL		50	22	12	34	2		10	4	3	7	0
1946–47	Boston Bruins	NHL		60	24	28	52	12		5	1	1	2	8
1947–48	Boston Bruins	NHL		59	21	16	37	14		5	0	0	0	0
1948–49	Boston Bruins	NHL		59	11	12	23	6		5	3	0	3	0
1949–50	Boston Bruins	NHL		69	14	25	39	14		—	—	—	—	—
1950–51	Boston Bruins	NHL		70	20	21	41	7		6	1	2	3	0
1951–52	Boston Bruins	NHL		39	5	8	13	0		7	0	1	1	0
1952–53	Boston Bruins	NHL		62	5	9	14	2		11	0	2	2	0
1953–54	Boston Bruins	NHL		69	4	3	7	6		4	0	0	0	0
1954–55	Providence Reds	AHL		15	2	2	4	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				772	211	218	429	99		88	12	15	27	23

See also

• List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database