James Gaye Stewart (June 28, 1923 – November 18, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He played nine seasons as a left winger in the National Hockey League.

Born in Fort William, Ontario, Stewart was promoted from the minors in 1942 to play in one game of the Stanley Cup Finals, where he helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win the championship. The next season, Stewart won the 1943 Calder 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 it as well since then.

Gaye Stewart

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 scoring. Stewart won his second Stanley Cup, again with the Maple Leafs, in 1947. Toronto traded Stewart to Chicago early in the 1947-48 season in a deal that brought Max Bentley to the Leafs, and he had three 20-goal seasons for the Black Hawks before finishing his career with stints in Detroit, New York and Montreal. 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.

Gaye Stewart

Career statistics

References

Other websites

Gaye Stewart Interview

Gaye Stewart's Day with the Stanley Cup

Gaye Stewart dies

1923 births

2010 deaths

Calder Trophy winners

Canadian ice hockey right wingers

Ice hockey people from Ontario

Chicago Blackhawks players

Detroit Red Wings players

Montreal Canadiens players

New York Rangers players

Sportspeople from Thunder Bay

Stanley Cup champions

Toronto Maple Leafs players

Ontario Hockey League players

Gaye Stewart