There will be at least one Thrasher in the Hall of Fame.
Long-time equipment manager Bobby Stewart makes it clear that he has not been enshrined as a Hall of Fame member. However, his picture and a plaque honoring his service now hang in the hockey shrine.
The Hockey Hall of Fame features a Wall of Fame that recognizes the contributions of the sport’s trainers and equipment managers. Last month, Stewart was honored as the yearly inductee for his 38 years of service with the Atlanta and Calgary organizations.
“I’m extremely pleased and proud of it,” Stewart said. “I don’t like to give people the impression that it’s the actual Hall of Fame. It’s our little part of it. It’s absolutely an honor.”
Stewart was honored last month in Orlando, Fla., at the annual meeting of both the Society of Professional Hockey Equipment Managers and Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society. Each year the organizations induct a member to the Wall of Fame, rotating between an equipment manager and a trainer. Several former Thrashers personnel attended the event, including assistant equipment manager Joey Guilmet and head trainer Tommy Alva. The former Thrashers ownership group and the Flames organization sponsored a reception for Stewart.
Three years after the last puck dropped in Atlanta, Stewart was recognized for his work that included 3,122 regular-season and playoff games for the Thrashers and Flames.
“I like to see people like Bobby get recognized,” former Thrashers and current Flames coach Bob Hartley said. “Throughout pro hockey, those medical trainers or those equipment managers, they always work behind the scenes. They rarely get recognized, but gosh, they are at the top of their trade. They do an unbelievable job, but they never get the recognition. … Bobby was always there for myself, for all the players, for the entire Thrashers organization.
“They put in the longer hours. Sometimes, during a tough schedule, they will get hours, maybe minutes, of sleep and the next morning you get in there and everything is good to go. We are very fortunate to be surrounded by those guys.”
Stewart, 64, retired to Orlando after the Thrashers were sold and the franchise relocated to Winnipeg in 2011. He finished 38 regular-season games shy 3,000. He passes part of his days now working at Disney World.
The honor gave Stewart another chance to attend an annual meeting and think about the sport that was his life for nearly four decades.
“It was such a thrill getting back and seeing all the guys I worked with over the years,” Stewart said. “It made me remember how much I missed about it. But life goes on. What are you going to do? Life goes on.”
Except for the first Atlanta Flames season, Stewart worked every NHL game in Atlanta history — that’s 902 regular-season games with the Thrashers and 558 with the Flames. He also worked 1,502 regular-season games in 19 seasons with the Calgary Flames. He and Guilmet worked side-by-side for the Thrashers in a near father-son relationship.
“It’s such a big honor,” Guilmet said. “You can’t find a better, more deserving person. I look up to Bobby. He is so dear to my heart. I respect him so much.”
In all his years, Stewart said he has never been to the Hall of Fame in Toronto. He has reason to go now.
About the Author
