Thursday 5 January 2017 07:38, UK
Boston Bruins hall of famer Milt Schmidt has died aged 98.
Schmidt - the only person to serve the Bruins' franchise as player, captain, coach and general manager - won his first Stanley Cup as a player in 1939 and fourth and final as general manager in 1972.
He won more Stanley Cup titles with Boston than any other person, capturing his second as a player in 1941 and first as GM in 1970 and played centre on the Bruins' famed "Kraut Line".
His personal honours included the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 1951 and the Art Ross Trophy as the league scoring champion in 1940.
The four-time all star was one of the most skilled players of his generation but was equally adept as GM, orchestrating one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history in 1967 when he brought Phil Esposito to Beantown.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said: "It would be a challenge to find anyone who took greater pride in being a Boston Bruin than Milt Schmidt did, be it as a player, an executive or an ambassador over the 80-plus years he served the franchise, the City of Boston and the National Hockey League.
"Milt's respect for the game was matched by his humility and was mirrored by the great respect with which his opponents and generations of Bruins players treated him through the years."
Bruins' current president and former player Cam Neely said: "I got to know Milt when I arrived in Boston and quickly learned he was an outstanding ambassador for the game of hockey, a true gentleman, and that he epitomised what it means to be a Bruin."
