Chris Stewart

Early years

Stewart was the second of seven children—he has five younger sisters—born to his mother, Sue, and his father, Norman, who came from a combined Jamaican and Irish background. Stewart grew up quite poor but he still loved to play hockey and was noted for his tenacity even before reaching his full size. He and Anthony played with the North York Jr. Canadiens, and thanks to a representative of the team, his hockey was paid for entirely. He also liked football and seriously considered playing it throughout his high school years at West Hill Collegiate Institute. Growing up, Stewart became friends with fellow Toronto native hockey player Wayne Simmonds.

Playing career

Junior

Prior to the 2004–05, Stewart's older brother Anthony, who was the captain of the Kingston Frontenacs, put his reputation on the line when he asked Frontenacs General Manager Larry Mavety to give Chris the chance to try out with the Frontenacs as an undrafted free agent. Mavety complied, and Stewart made the team in training camp, allowing the brothers to play together on the same team. Initially given the position with the Frontenacs as an energetic fighting role player, Stewart took advantage of his increased playing time and had a solid rookie season, scoring 18 goals and 30 points in 64 games. Stewart played in his first OHL game on September 26, 2004, getting no points in a 4–3 loss to the Brampton Battalion. Stewart scored his first goal in the League on October 3, 2004, beating Sudbury Wolves goaltender Patrick Ehelechner in a 6–4 loss. The Frontenacs failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.

In 2005–06, Stewart had a breakout season, as he was named as an assistant captain, while scoring 37 goals and 87 points in 62 games to finish second in team scoring, helping Kingston to a playoff berth. In six playoff games, Stewart had two goals, as the Frontenacs lost to the Sudbury Wolves in the first round of the playoffs.

That summer, Stewart was drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 2006 NHL entry draft by the Colorado Avalanche.

On October 13, 2006, the Frontenacs revealed Stewart as the new captain of the team for the 2006–07 season at the Kingston Memorial Centre before a game against the Guelph Storm. Stewart had another solid season with Kingston, as he had 36 goals and 82 points in 61 games, finishing second in team scoring once again. In the post-season, Stewart had four goals and six points in five games, as the Frontenacs lost to the Oshawa Generals in the opening round of the playoffs.

Professional

Stewart made his professional debut with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League (AHL) at the end of the 2006–07 season. He played his first game with the team on April 4, 2007, getting no points in a 3-2 loss to the Springfield Falcons. Stewart recorded his first point, an assist, on April 6, 2007, as Albany defeated the Binghamton Senators 7-3. He then scored his first professional goal on April 14, 2007, as Stewart scored on Corey Crawford of the Norfolk Admirals in a 6-5 loss. In the playoffs, Stewart appeared in one game, getting no points, as the River Rats lost to the Hershey Bears in the first round.

In 2007–08, the Avalanche moved their AHL affiliate to Cleveland, Ohio, and renamed the team to the Lake Erie Monsters. Stewart spent the entire season with Lake Erie, scoring a team-high 25 goals, while finishing third in points with 44. Lake Erie, however, missed the playoffs. Stewart recorded a hat-trick on November 17, 2007, scoring three times on Toronto Marlies goaltender Justin Pogge in a 5–3 Monsters victory.

Stewart began the 2008–09 season with the Monsters, appearing in 19 games, scoring five goals and 11 points. He was then called up to the Colorado Avalanche on December 5, 2008.

Stewart played in his first NHL game that same night, getting no points and a –1 plus-minus rating in 7:29 ice time in the Avalanche's 2–1 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars. On December 9, 2008, Stewart scored his first career NHL goal, a shorthanded goal against Jason LaBarbera of the Los Angeles Kings, and added an assist in a 6–1 victory. On January 21, 2009, he earned his first ever Gordie Howe hat trick, which is a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game, in a 6–5 loss to Los Angeles. Stewart finished the 2008–09 season with 11 goals and 19 points in 53 games with Colorado, though the team failed to qualify for the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Stewart saw very little time with Lake Erie in 2009–10, appearing in just two games with the Monsters, earning no points. He spent the majority of the season with the Avalanche, and on December 2, 2009, Stewart had another Gordie Howe hat trick while recording his first three-point game in a 6–5 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers. On March 6, 2010, Stewart recorded his first career hat trick against the St. Louis Blues in a 7–3 win, scoring two goals against Chris Mason, followed by a penalty shot goal against Ty Conklin, while adding an assist to finish with a career-high four points in a game. He finished the season leading the Avalanche with 28 goals, while finishing second in team scoring with 64 points, helping the club into the 2010 playoffs. Stewart played in his first Stanley Cup playoff game on April 14, 2010, scoring a goal with 50 seconds left in the game against Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks in a 2–1 Colorado win. Stewart finished the playoffs with three goals in six games as the Avalanche eventually lost to the Sharks in the first round of post-season.

International play

Stewart played with Canada at the 2011 IIHF World Championship held in Slovakia, where in seven games, he recorded two goals and four points. Canada struggled in the tournament, and finished in fifth place.

Career statistics