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| Woody Dumart | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1992 | |||
.jpg) 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 aCanadianprofessionalice hockey player, most notably for theBoston Bruins of theNational Hockey League. He was a member of the famed "Kraut Line" with teammatesMilt Schmidt andBobby Bauer. The trio led the Bruins to twoStanley Cup championships and became the firstline to finish first, second and third in NHL scoring, in1939–40. He is an Honoured Member of theHockey Hall of Fame. Dumart's uncleEzra Dumart was also a professional ice hockey player.
Born to Lovina and Henry Dumart on December 23rd 1916 Dumart was raised in Berlin now known as Kitchener, Ontario. He was named after the American president at the time,Woodrow Wilson. His family ran a packing supply company called Dumart Packing Company. Dumart began playing the game of hockey at an early age, playing it on the frozen outdoors ponds and sloughs.[1]
CoachLynn Patrick called him Porky, but he was best known as Woody.[2]
During much of his amateur career He was a defensemen, he played his junior Hockey for the OHA Jr. B Kitchener Empires in 1933, and then theKitchener Greenshirts of theOntario Hockey Association on a line with childhood friendsMilt Schmidt andBobby Bauer, which was dubbed the "Kraut line" byAlbert Leduc, a defenceman for theMontreal Canadien Due to all 3 men having German heritage .[3] All three players were signed by theBoston Bruins,and Dumart was assigned to theBoston Cubs of theCanadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) for the 1935–36 season.
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 the1936–37 seasons in the minor leagues with theBoston Cubs of theCan-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 consecutivePrince of Wales Trophy wins as the NHL's best team in the regular season. Following a 29-point regular season in1938–39, Dumart added 4 points in 12 playoff games. The Bruins eliminated theNew York Rangers, then defeated theToronto Maple Leafs four games to one to capture Boston's firstStanley Cup championship in ten years.[4] The following year In1939–40, Schmidt led the NHL in points with 52 while Dumart and Bauer finished second and third respectively with 43 each.[5] It was the first time in league history that three linemates finished in the top three spots in NHL scoring.[6] This would lead to Dumart being named to thesecond All-Star team for the first time during the1939–40 season. The following season Dumart would have another good season scoring 18 goals and 15 assists helping the Bruins win the1941 Stanley cup. Dumart would then once again be named to the Second All-Star for the1940–41 season.
Dumart scored his 1st NHL hat-trick vs the Chicago Black Hawks on Christmas Day December 25, 1939 at Boston Garden in a 6-3 Bruins win.
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 andFrank Brimsek.[3] In their final game with the Bruins before deployment, the Kraut Line recorded eight points in a dominating victory over theMontreal Canadiens. Following the contest, players from both teams fêted the trio, hoisting them up on their shoulders and parading them around the ice.[7] Schmidt, Dumart and Bauer were the first NHL players to join theRoyal Canadian Air Force, joining halfway through the1941–42 season while training in Ottawa, they joined theOttawa RCAF Flyers of theQuebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL).[8] The trio helped the Flyers win theAllan Cup as Canadiansenior champions.[9] 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. Dumart scored 22 goals as the Bruins fell in the Stanley Cup finals. Dumart scorded 24 goals and 28 assists for 52 points in1947, a personal best, and was named a Second Team All-Star for the third time. This would also lead to Dumart being selected to the play in the 1st annual all star game in1947. He would also be selected again the following year in1948 after scoring 21 goals and 16 assists. Dumart would continue to put up solid numbers for the bruins for the next 4 seasons. Scoring 39 points during the1949-50 season, then in1950-51, Dumart scored 20 goals and 41 points for the season. He was a constant fan favorite throughout his time with Boston.
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 the1954 playoffs. He played one last stint the following season with theProvidence Reds of theAmerican Hockey League, suiting up for fifteen games before hanging up his skates at last.
Former Bruins team presidentHarry Sinden would later state “Woody was one of the truly great Bruins and one of the best players in the NHL in his time,". "He was a true gentleman and represented the organization well both on and off the ice over many years."[10]
Dumart retired having played sixteen NHL seasons in all, scoring 211 goals and 218 assists for 429 points in 772 games.
Dumart also got into coaching after retirement serving as the Boston Bruins Jr head coach during the 1961-62 season.[11]
He settled in the Boston area with his wife Nancy, had three children, 10 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and remained active with charities, and coached the Bruins' Alumni Association team.[12] For a period of time Dumart also worked as theofficial scorer during Bruins home games.[13]
On his way toRay Bourque Night, with his son Jeff Dumart, at theFleetCenter, Woody suddenly became ill with heart trouble and was taken to the hospital, where he died on October 19, 2001.
Dumart remained a legend in his hometown of Kitchener and was later inducted into the Region of Waterloo Hall of fame.[14]
He was inducted into theHockey Hall of Fame in 1992. Then most recently in 2023 he was named one of the top 100 best Bruins player of all time.[15]
| 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 | ||||
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