Bill Stewart (ice hockey)
William Donald "Bill" Stewart ( born October 6, 1957 in Toronto, Ontario ) is a former Italian- Canadian professional ice hockey player (defender), who from 1977 to 1986 for the Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota North Stars was active in the National Hockey League. Most recently, he was head coach and manager of the Cologne Sharks of the German Ice Hockey League, but was released on November 6, 2010. His son Jesse Stewart is also an active hockey player.
- 4.1 Coach stations in Germany, Switzerland and Austria
- 4.2 Return to Germany
Playing career
As a teenager, Stewart played for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHA. In this league, he moved to the St. Catharines Black Hawks, and later to Niagara Falls Flyers. He was then selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL Amateur Draft 1977 in the fourth round as 68th. Also in the World Hockey Association, he was drafted in 1977. The Winnipeg Jets selected him in round 5 from 46th.
He transferred to season 1977/ 78 to the Buffalo, but played most of the time at the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League. The next year he played mainly in the NHL, but a year later he played for the Rochester Americans in the AHL.
At the beginning of the season 1980/81 season he moved to the St. Louis Blues. Even in the three years there, he often had the farm team for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in the Central Hockey League. It was followed by two years with the Toronto Maple Leafs with side trips to the St. Catharines Saints in the AHL.
The 1985/86 season was his last as a player in North America. Mostly he was employed in the AHL with the Springfield Indians. Only eight games he played in the NHL for the Minnesota North Stars.
He moved to Italy, where he worked from 1987 until 1995 as a player but also as a coach. Stations included the EV Bruneck, the Milan Lions, the Val Gardena HC and HC Courmaosta.
Internationally
For Italy Stewart participated in the World Championships in 1992 and 1993, and the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville and 1994 Lillehammer part.
Awards and achievements
NHL stats
Coaching career
In the summer of 1996, Stewart was elected to the Colonial Hockey League where he was employed with the Muskegon Fury coach of the year. In 1997, he won the junior team of the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League championship. In 1997, Stewart to the Saint John Flames, where he was also coach of the year. After a brief stint as coach of NHL clubs New York Islanders Stewart took another one championship with the Barrie Colts. During this time he was trying to smuggle across the U.S. Canadian border to the Ukrainian player Vladimir Schernenko. This, however, fell on and as Stewart was given a temporal prohibition in the United States.
Coach stations in Germany, Switzerland and Austria
In the 2000 /01 season he moved to the Adler Mannheim in the DEL. The team took first place in the table after the first round and became German champion.
To have it delivered to a fight with Pavel Gross, the former coach of the Berlin Capitals, and it could be assumed him during a final game against the Munich Barons faint simulated to the Mannheim top players in January Alston time: However, Stewart made again soon for excitement give to grind his runners. In the 2001/2002 season, the Adler Mannheim failed due to resurgent Cologne Sharks in the final. After two successful years, little Stewart left the Adler Mannheim, joined the league rivals Krefeld Penguins and kept them from possible relegation. After a brief interlude in Lausanne, he joined during the 2005/ 06 season to the Graz 99ers to Austria and sparked there 's unsuccessful List from Mike as a coach. Although already passed specific verbal agreements on cooperation for the following season, Stewart left the 99ers and signed for the coming season with the Black Wings Linz as the new head coach.
Return to Germany
After Freezers whose head coach Mike Smith was dismissed for lack of success in the DEL - Club Hamburg in November 2006, the Freezers already presented a day later Stewart as his successor, though Stewart had an ongoing contract in Linz yet and had not informed the club management of his intentions. A lawyer and Linz President Wilfried Wetzleben then submitted for breach of contract filed a lawsuit to achieve by an injunction prohibiting work for Stewart. The district court in Linz rejected the complaint of the Black Wings Linz on 8 January 2007 that the change was completed legally. Parallel to Stewart's surprising change came allegations that Stewart reportedly said to have given of themselves racist remarks against Chris Hamilton the mental coach of the Vienna Capitals. In this matter there is no formal process, according to data from Stewart, he apologized to Hamilton, who accepted the apology. At the end of the season led Stewart Freezers through qualifying play-off to the quarter- finals.
After a series of defeats Stewart was released on 13 December 2008 by the Hamburg Freezers. Nearly a year later, on 2 December 2009, he dissolved the furloughed because of failure Igor Pavlov as coach of the Cologne Sharks off and led the KEC still ranked 10th, however, in the first playoff round, the Sharks failed on ERC Ingolstadt. Because of persistent failure, he was released on November 6, 2010 in his capacity as a trainer and manager of the Cologne Sharks.