12/12/12

My favourite number 12

 

My favourite number 12 will always be Ron Stewart.

 

When I first started getting interested in hockey, he was # 12 for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

 

Ron Stewart played his first two seasons of junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros, until being traded to three different teams in his last year of OHA play. The Marlies sent Stewart to Windsor where he played only two games, then moved on to Barrie. He was picked up by Guelph for the playoffs, and what a playoff it would be! Stewart was exceptional in the post-season as the Biltmores took the Memorial Cup in 1952.

The next season saw Stewart make his NHL debut with the Leafs where he would play for thirteen straight seasons. Stewart joined the team while they were in the process of rebuilding but would see better days down the road. The Leafs and Stewart would be a part of three straight Stanley Cup championships from 1961-62 to 1963-64. During his time in Toronto, Stewart played in four All-Star Games, '55, '62, '63 and '64.

Stewart finally left the Leafs when he was traded to the Bruins in 1965, where he spent two seasons. From Boston, he was claimed by the Blues in the Expansion Draft of 1967 but was traded to the Rangers during the season. After three years in New York, Stewart was dealt to Vancouver, only to be sent back to the Rangers for their run for the Cup in 1972. New York took on Boston in the Cup finals but was downed by the combination of Orr and Esposito.

After being dealt one last time, to the Islanders in the 1972-73 season, he retired from the game as a player. Stewart stepped behind the bench to coach minor league teams and made it back to the NHL for the 1975-76 season as the coach of the Rangers and then with the L.A. Kings for 1977-78. Back in his hometown of Calgary, Stewart became the manager of a couple of local junior teams and several business endeavours. Died of cancer in 2012.