Docs Menu

Milt Schmidt

Boston Bruins General Managers › Milt Schmidt
Born:March 5, 1918Draft:Undrafted
Hometown:Kitchener, OntarioPosition:C
Known For:Hall of FameShoots:Left
National Team:N/A

Milton Conrad Schmidt (March 5, 1918 – January 4, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey center, coach and general manager, mostly for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL), where he was a member of the Kraut Line, along with Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart. 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.

Schmidt coached the Bruins up to the 1966 season with a year and a half hiatus. 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. 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 for the start of the 1975 season. 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).

Milt Schmidt
Milt Schmidt

Milt Schmidt Statistics

Deeper Dive

Achievements

  • NHL Scoring Champion — 1940
  • NHL All-Star Game — 1947, 1948, 1951, 1952
  • NHL First Team All-Star — 1940, 1947, 1951
  • NHL Second Team All-Star — 1952
  • Hart Memorial Trophy — 1951
  • Lester Patrick Trophy — 1996
  • Stanley Cup Champion (as player) — 1939, 1941
  • Stanley Cup Champion (as general manager) — 1970, 1972

Sources

© 2024 The Hockey Writers