Gaye Stewart


James Gaye Stewart was a professional ice hockey forward. He played nine seasons as a left winger in the National Hockey League.

Playing career

Born in Fort William, Ontario, Stewart was called from the minors in 1942 to play in one game of the Stanley Cup Finals, where he helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup. The next season, Stewart won the 1942–43 Calder Memorial Trophy, beating out Maurice 'The Rocket' Richard of the Montreal Canadiens. He became the first player to win the Stanley Cup before the Calder. Danny Grant, Tony Esposito and Ken Dryden have accomplished the feat since then.
After spending two years in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II, Stewart returned to the NHL in 1945 and had his best season, leading the league with 37 goals - the last time a Leaf led the League in goals. Stewart won his second Stanley Cup, again with the Maple Leafs, in 1946–47. Toronto traded Stewart to Chicago early in the 1947–48 season in a deal that brought Max Bentley to the Leafs. Stewart had three 20-goal seasons for the Black Hawks before finishing his career with stints with the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens. In all, Gaye Stewart played for five of the NHL's Original Six teams, all except the Boston Bruins. He played 502 career NHL games, scoring 185 goals and 159 assists for 344 points. Stewart died on November 18, 2010, in a hospital in Burlington, Ontario, at the age of 87.

Awards and achievements