Ronald George Stewart (July 11, 1932 – March 17, 2012) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) from 1952 to 1973, as well as a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He spent the first half of his career with the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

, and won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

three times from 1962 to 1964. The latter part of his playing career was spent with the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

, and

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

. He would later coach the Rangers for half of a season, and spent a full season as coach of the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

Early career

After growing up in Alberta, Stewart moved to Ontario as a teen to participate in the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...

, then the top ranked junior league. He won the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

in 1952 with the

Guelph Biltmores The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1940 to 1942, and 1947 to 1960. The team was often known as the "Biltmores" and sponsored by the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company, and ...

NHL player

Stewart played thirteen seasons for the

, taking part with them in three

championships in the early 1960s. After his time in Toronto, he spent two seasons with the

(1965–1966, 1966–1967). He was chosen by the

in the

1967 NHL Expansion Draft The 1967 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 6, 1967, in the ballroom of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's six expansion teams for the 1967–68 season: the California Seals ...

, before being traded to the

in that same season. He spent part of the 1971–1972 season with the

, but returned briefly to the Rangers. He spent his final year, 1972-1973, with the

. Stewart was a very good skater and probably ranked as the fastest of all Toronto Maple Leaf players from the mid-fifties through to the end of his career with the Leafs. During team practice sessions, he usually won the end-to-end skating rushes though during league games, he didn't often demonstrate his blazing speed in the same way as did Dave Keon and Frank Mahovlich. With his 6 ft.1 in. size, Ron was particularly adept in a defensive fore-checking role and former New York Ranger coach, Emile Francis regarded Stewart as one of the very best penalty-killers in the league. Offensively, Stewart was not a prolific goal scorer but he possessed a very quick wrist shot that made him a scoring threat.

Death of Terry Sawchuk

After the 1969–1970 season ended, Stewart and Rangers teammate

Terry Sawchuk Terrance Gordon Sawchuk (December 28, 1929 – May 31, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kin ...

, both of whom had been drinking, argued over expenses for the house they rented together on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, New York. Sawchuk suffered severe internal injuries during the scuffle. Sawchuk told the police that he accepted full responsibility for the events. Sawchuk never recovered and died shortly thereafter from a pulmonary embolism on May 31, 1970 at the age of 40. A Nassau County grand jury exonerated Stewart and ruled that Sawchuk's death was accidental.

Coaching

After retiring from play, Stewart became a

. He was the head coach of the Rangers for the start of the 1975–76 season, but after a record of 15 wins, 20 losses and 4 ties in 39 games, was fired. His next NHL job was with the

for the 1977–78 season. He had a record of 31 wins, 34 losses and 15 ties over the season, and was not brought back for the next season.

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.

Career statistics

Coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Ron 1932 births 2012 deaths Barrie Flyers players Boston Bruins players Canadian ice hockey centres Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters players Los Angeles Kings coaches New York Islanders players New York Rangers coaches New York Rangers players Providence Reds players St. Louis Blues players Ice hockey people from Calgary Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto Marlboros players Vancouver Canucks players Canadian ice hockey coaches