were in the Canadian Army. While serving with the army, Bauer played hockey for the Royal Canadian Postal Corps in the Ottawa National Defence Hockey League and then briefly with the Windsor Spitfires in the Windsor City Hockey League. He enrolled at the University of Toronto upon release from the Army. His playing career ended with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues during the 1945–46 season after he began studies for priesthood. Playing statistics Regular season and playoffs statistics. Entering the priesthood Bauer went to Richmond Hill in 1946, and entered the novitiate for the Congregation of St. Basil to study for the priesthood, then took his religious vows on September 12, 1947. He returned to the University of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto to complete undergraduate studies and earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1949. His influences as a student included philosopher Jacques Maritain and writer Christopher Dawson. Bauer earned his teaching certificate from the Ontario College of Education in 1951. In 1952, the Bauer family was a major contributor towards funding and establishing the Carmel of St. Joseph Monastery in St. Agatha near Waterloo. Bauer was ordained as a Catholic priest on June 29, 1953, at St. Basil's Church in Toronto by Cardinal James McGuigan. Bauer conducted his first mass as a priest at St. Jerome's Roman Catholic Church in Waterloo in 1953. St. Michael's teacher and coach Bauer taught at St. Michael's College School from 1953 to 1961, and sought for the education system to produce more wise leaders. The school was operated by the Basilian fathers. Their motto, "Teach me goodness, discipline and knowledge" was derived from Psalm 119. Bauer taught ethics, religion, theology and history, while coaching the hockey and football programs. In January 1957, he was named assistant principal of St. Michael's. Bauer sat on the junior ice hockey council for the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), and coached and managed teams at all levels of hockey offered by St. Michael's. He protected his players against the advances of professional teams that tried to sign junior-aged players to contracts, and felt that the players needed more time to develop. He and the Basilian fathers lobbied for a shortened schedule for the Toronto St. Michael's Majors in the OHA's top tier of junior hockey after the 1958–59 season, since they believed it was too long and detrimental to academic studies for