United States Hockey Hall of Famer Paul Stewart sits down with Haley Taylor Simon for a tell-all interview about his time from playing hockey to continuing the family tradition of officiating. Stewart notably became the first — and, to date, only — American to not only be an NHL player, but also a referee. As a player in the WHA (Edmonton Oilers, Cincinnati Stingers) and NHL (Quebec Nordiques), “Stewcat” was an enforcer. In his first NHL game, he had three fights and a game misconduct. As an NHL referee of 1,010 games, he enforced the rules instead.
Stewart takes pride in the fact that his grandfather, Bill Stewart Sr., was a Stanley Cup winning coach (Chicago Black Hawks), NHL referee (officiating in four Stanley Cup Finals), general manager of Team USA, a Major League Baseball umpire who worked All-Star games and the World Series, plus an MLB talent scout. Later, Bill Stewart Jr. worked for decades as a high school teacher, football coach, and longtime college hockey referee.
Stewart shares his battle with cancer and overcoming slim odds. The resilience of Stewart is telling with overcoming obstacles. To this day, he focuses his energy on helping others.
Stewart also prides himself on being a good dad to his two sons, who are following in the Stewart family tradition as the youngest son is officiating hockey games. There is a lot to learn from Paul Stewart, not as a player, not as a referee, but as a person.
