Rob Stewart has provided outstanding service to British ice hockey in 17 years as a defenceman and in the past four as a non-playing assistant coach. His worth is recognised with four All-Star accolades, three at ‘A’, and four league championships plus two play-off titles.
Hearing good things about British hockey from brother Keith, who spent 1989/90 with Nottingham, Rob broke off three years of study at the University of Manitoba to join Basingstoke Beavers. He was released after two games. The same misfortune befell him at Solihull. Shocked he said “I didn’t know whether to head back to Canada or look elsewhere”. He went to Romford “to pick up a couple of weeks pay” to fill in for an injured player. The 195 lbs rushing offensive defender was asked to stay. He contributed 124 points, gaining an All-Star ‘A’ award in the team’s finest season to- date. Rob spent the next four years with Raiders, including taking over as coach in autumn 1993. In an era restricted to three imports he was often the British League’s Division 1 leading scoring defenceman and the club’s sole import blue liner.
A management change at Romford necessitated a move. He signed for Telford to be appointed Tigers’ captain. Stewart joined Bracknell for the 1995/96 campaign where he remained for the next five years. A year later Bees joined the new Superleague and Rob continued, as he had done for some years, as his team’s third best scorer. He captained Bracknell to a Challenge Cup runners-up medal in February 1998 to score the opening goal 14 months later in a play-off semi-final loss with an All-Star ‘B’ placing. Trumping this a year later with an ‘A’ as he led Bees to the league title and semi-finalists in the Challenge and B&H Cups.
When Dave Whistle, they had been team-mates at Romford, Telford and Bracknell, became coach of Belfast, Stewart joined him for Giants inaugural 2000/01 campaign as a player and assistant coach. He was also responsible for commencing a youth development programme. In his second winter in the Northern Irish capital Rob won his second Superleague championship medal as Giants lifted the league trophy by a clear 21 points and were finalists in the Challenge Cup. His points’ production was the best for three years as he gained his third All-Star ‘A’ rating. Next winter a play-off medal was added. At the conclusion of the six year Superleague Rob was the only player to have never missed a game in 286 consecutive appearances. For 2003/04 he took over as head coach at a difficult financial time for Giants. His dedication was such that he used his own credit card to help keep the club afloat.
A short lived move to Sheffield as non-playing coach in summer 2004 was soon followed by donning skates again on Belfast ice next winter, for an Elite League title and play-off runners up medals. A Giants coaching change saw Romford legend Rob make an emotional return to east London on 12 September 2006, after a 12 year absence. He commented “I like the town and ran hockey schools for four or so summers there”. Late next autumn he put the blades away to be appointed coach, improving Raiders in the EPL standings and regaining play-off qualification.
A final return to his adopted city of Belfast in summer 2008 saw Stewart resume his place as assistant non-playing coach. A role he still fulfils. During the past four seasons he has helped Giants win the Elite League title, plus a Play-Off championship, Challenge and Knockout Cup.
Rob Stewart, whose first memory of hockey was playing on outdoor ice as a four or five year old, was born on 5 February 1966 at Brandon, Manitoba. He gained British citizenship in 2001.
Compiled by Martin C.Harris
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