Bobby Stewart could see the end.
One final season — and a milestone of 3,000 NHL regular-season games — and the long-time equipment manager would start a Florida retirement. The only bags to carry would be his and those of his wife, Sherri.
Those plans have come to an abrupt end. On Tuesday at the NHL’s Board of Governors meeting in New York, the league officially will approve the sale and relocation of the Thrashers. While a second Atlanta NHL franchise moves to Canada, Stewart’s career will end after 37 seasons — the past 11 with the Thrashers and the 26 previous with the Flames in Atlanta and Calgary. Stewart followed the Flames to Calgary in 1980 but he, and other support staff, was not asked to remain with the Thrashers franchise in Winnipeg.
“I would have liked to have known at the time [that I had worked my last game],” Stewart said this week. “[Three-thousand games] doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it would have been nice. It was something I would have liked to have done.”
Save for the first Atlanta Flames season, Stewart has been at every NHL game in Atlanta history. He worked 902 regular-season games with the Thrashers and 558 with the Flames.
Stewart, 61, spent 19 seasons in Calgary bringing his total to 2,962 games. He missed just two games in his career, those for the birth of his son. Thirty-eight games from reaching the milestone, Stewart was to retire following the season and turn over the head position to Joe Guilmet. The two have been with the Thrashers organization since the inception, and Stewart calls Guilmet “the best thing to have happened to my career.”
Both management and players praised the tandem for their dedication and ability to play off each other’s strengths.
“He has so many years of experience,” said forward Jim Slater, who spent the past six seasons with the Thrashers. “He came to the rink every day and did his job — all the late-night and early-morning hours. That takes a unique person to wake up every day with a smile on his face and take care of 23 guys the way he did.”
Add 160 playoff games, and Stewart worked 3,122 contests. His tenure included a Stanley Cup championship in 1989 with the Flames. That’s a lot of hockey. There is no secret to his longevity in such an unheralded, behind-the scenes position.
“It’s a no-reward job,” Thrashers president Don Waddell said. “When we get home from the road at 1 a.m., he and Joey drive to the arena, put the equipment away and do laundry. A lot of times they slept there.”
Stewart has special memories. He will always remember winning the Stanley Cup and wishes that feeling for everyone in hockey. He watched as three sons born to Calgary players in the mid-1980s grew into NHL players. He remembers being in Chicago Stadium with the crowd on its feet for the national anthem. “I wasn’t even American and the hair was standing up on the back of my neck,” the Montreal native said.
In the end, it’s the people that Stewart will miss. Too many good people have touched his life to have a favorite. “I’ve worked with so many great people over the years. That really is the best part of the job. ... There are so many good guys that you are going to miss, but you are glad they were in your life even for a little while.”
Stewart returned to Atlanta in 1999. After meeting his wife here while with the Flames, he couldn’t pass on an opportunity for her to be closer to home. Plus, it afforded him the career challenge of starting a team from scratch.
While he has seen a lot of hockey, from a prime location behind the bench, it wasn’t always easy to appreciate the game. There was a job to do.
“You are watching for broken sticks or a guy losing an [skate] edge,” Stewart said. “You are sort of oblivious to a certain amount. You notice the big plays. … For a short guy like me, I’m looking through armpits. You are right there and you do appreciate the speed of the game. I don’t get a chance to analyze it much.”
When the final moving van is loaded and headed north, Stewart hopes to have a small memento of his time in Atlanta. Maybe he will keep an item or two, just something to take into the next phase of his life.
“I have to get something,” Stewart said. “That’s one of my regrets. I haven’t been a big collector over the years. I have a few things but I don’t have a lot. Maybe I will regret that. The things I do have are the things that mean a lot to me.”
The memories will do. There isn’t a display case big enough.
