Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer were three childhood friends who got to live out the dream of playing together in the NHL, but when World War II broke out, they put that on hold to fight for the Allies.
The trio formed the Kraut line with the Boston Bruins. Their careers with Boston started in the late 1930s and when the war started in 1939, they enlisted with the Royal Canadians Air Force. Then, in 1942 after Pearl Harbor, they were called into active service and spent the next three years fighting.
You can see more of their story below:
Seeing the camaraderie between them and the rival Montreal Canadiens players after their last game before going off to battle highlights the best of the sport. Hockey teams have fierce rivalries, but there are some things that have always transcended that.
All three of those players are in the Hall of Fame and they won the Stanley Cup together in 1939 and 1941. Schmidt also won the Hart Trophy in 1951 while Bauer won the Lady Byng in 1940, 1941, and 1947.
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Ryan Dadoun is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @RyanDadoun.