Ron Stewart

Ron Stewart
Born	July 11, 1932 Calgary, AB, CAN
Died	March 17, 2012 (aged 79) Kelowna, BC, CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	New York Islanders New York Rangers Vancouver Canucks St. Louis Blues Boston Bruins Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	1952–1973

Ronald George Stewart (July 11, 1932 – March 17, 2012) was a professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1952 to 1973, as well as an NHL coach.^[1]

Early career

After growing up in Alberta,^[2] Stewart moved to Ontario as a teen to participate in the Ontario Hockey Association, then the top ranked junior league. He won the Memorial Cup in 1952 with the Guelph Biltmores.^[3]

NHL player

Stewart played thirteen seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, taking part with them in three Stanley Cup championships in the early 1960s. After his time in Toronto, he spent two seasons with the Boston Bruins (1965-1966, 1966-1967). He was chosen by the St. Louis Blues in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, before being traded to the New York Rangers in that same season. He spent part of the 1971-1972 season with the Vancouver Canucks, but returned briefly to the Rangers. He spent his final year, 1972-1973, with the New York Islanders.^[4]

Death of Terry Sawchuk

After the 1969–1970 season ended, Stewart and Rangers teammate Terry Sawchuk, both of whom had been drinking, argued over expenses for the house they rented together on Long Island, New York. Sawchuk suffered severe internal injuries during the scuffle from falling on top of Stewart's bent knee. At Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Sawchuk's gallbladder was removed and he had a second operation on his damaged and bleeding liver. The press described the incident as "horseplay," and Sawchuk told the police that he accepted full responsibility for the events. At New York Hospital in Manhattan, another operation was performed on Sawchuk's bleeding liver. He never recovered and died shortly thereafter from a pulmonary embolism on May 31, 1970 at the age of 40. The last reporter to speak to him, a little over a week before his death, was Shirley Fischler (wife of Stan Fischler), who went to see him in the hospital as a visitor, not identifying herself as a reporter. Sawchuk told her the incident with Stewart "was just a fluke, a complete fluke accident." Fischler described him as "so pale and thin that the scars had almost disappeared from his face."^[5] A Nassau County grand jury exonerated Stewart and ruled that Sawchuk's death was accidental.^[6]

Coaching

After retiring from play, Stewart coached, most notably working with the Rangers in 1975-1976 and the Los Angeles Kings in 1977-1978.^[7]

Retirement

Stewart spent his latter years in British Columbia and Arizona. He had three children by his first wife, Barbara. He died of cancer in 2012.^[8]

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season						Post season
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
New York Rangers	1975–76	39	15	20	4	(34)	4th in Patrick	(fired)
Los Angeles Kings	1977–78	80	31	34	15	77	3rd in Norris	Lost in Preliminary Round
Total		119	46	54	19

Teams as player

• 1951–52: Barrie Flyers (OHA), 29 games
• 1951–52: Toronto Marlboros (OHA), 21 games
• 1951–52: Guelph Biltmores (OHA), 12 playoff games
• 1952–65: Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)
• 1965–67: Boston Bruins (NHL)
• 1967–68: St. Louis Blues (NHL), 19 games
• 1967–68: New York Rangers (NHL), 55 games
• 1968–71: New York Rangers (NHL)
• 1971–72: Providence Reds (AHL), 18 games
• 1971–72: Vancouver Canucks (NHL), 42 games
• 1971–73: New York Rangers (NHL),
• 1972–73: New York Islanders (NHL)

See also

• List of NHL players with 1000 games played

References

1. "Legends of Hockey - Ron Stewart". National Hockey League Players Association. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
2. Goldstein, Richard (2012-03-28). "Ron Stewart, N.H.L. Star With Role in Fatal Fight, Dies at 79". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
3. Hornby, Lance; Sun, Toronto. "Leafs' Cup winner Ron Stewart dies". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
4. "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Ron Stewart". www.hhof.com. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
5. Shirley Fischler, "Last Interview," Hockey Illustrated (Nov. 1970), pp. 21-23.
6. John A. Drobnicki, "Sawchuk, Terrance Gordon ('Terry')," in The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures (Scribner's, 2002), Vol. 2, pp. 335-336.
7. "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Ron Stewart". www.hhof.com. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
8. Hornsby, Lance (2012-03-22). "Leafs Cup winner Ron Stewart dies". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2012-03-22.

External links

• Ron Stewart's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
• Ron Stewart's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Ron Stewart's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Ron Stewart's player profile at NHL.com