WHY JACK STEWART MIGHT BE THE BEST DEFENSEMAN AVAILABLE
1. There is a good argument that his 1942-43 season is the best season by an available defenseman.
Prior to 1942-43, Black Jack Stewart had received a handful of All-Star votes on a few occasions, but in 1942-43 at the age of 25, he emerged as a star. He dominated All-Star voting during the regular season:
overpass said:
Total first-team voting points: Jack Stewart 20, Earl Seibert 12, Flash Hollett 9, Jack Crawford 7, Babe Pratt 3, Dit Clapper 1
He then went on to win the Stanley Cup as Detroit's #1 defenseman.
2. Stewart is the only defenseman to be an All Star both before and after the Red Line was introduced.
Stewart was unable to build off his spectacular 1942-43 season because he left the NHL to serve for two years during World War 2. Stewart returned in 1945-46 and had to adjust to a different style of game: The addition of the Red Line and the new ability of teams to pass forward between zones completely changed the way a defenseman would defend the transitions game. In Stewart's first season back, he was a 2nd Team All Star, and finished 5th in Hart voting (first among all defensemen).
3. Consistently an elite player in his prime
Stewart finished top 5 in All-Star voting every season he played from the ages of 25-32 before retiring due to injuries:
1942-43: 1st in All-Star voting
1943-44: Lost season to World War 2
1944-45: Lost season to World War 2
1945-46: 4th in All Star voting
1946-47: 3rd in All Star voting
1947-48: 2nd in All Star voting
1948-49: 2nd in All Star voting
1949-50: 5th in All Star voting
1949-50 would be Stewart's last full year of hockey and last season in Detroit. He ended his tenure in Detroit by winning his second Cup, this time as the hard-hitting stay at home partner to a young player named Red Kelly. He was 32 years old. He would have two injury-filled seasons in Chicago afterwards before calling it quits for good.
When he retired for the first time in 1951, the Edmonton Journal wrote:
His retirement would mark the end of one of the longest and most valuable careers in N.H.L. history.
4. Style of Play
Wikipedia has a good article on Black Jack Stewart, with a well-sourced description of his playing style:
During his career, Stewart was regarded as one of the hardest bodycheckers in the National Hockey League.[2] He was also carried the heaviest stick in the league, explaining that "I don't use it for scoring. I use it for breaking arms".[5] Stewart was known for his large grin when hitting opponents; teammate Ted Lindsay noted "when he had that smile, it was time for the opposition to look out".[10] He led the league with 73 penalty minutes in 1945–46 ,[5] and in the late 1940s, his rivalry with Milt Schmidt of the Boston Bruins was so intense that their physical interactions occasionally overshadowed the games themselves.[2]
Stewart hated his nickname of "Black Jack", believing it implied he was a dirty player. Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman King Clancy agreed he was not a dirty, but stated he was the "roughest son of a gun you'd ever want to meet."[9] His style of play resulted in numerous injuries; Stewart had dozens of scars and required over 200 stitches to close various cuts during his career. One year saw him play the entire season with a broken hand.[9]
Stewart showed good judgment as a defenceman, rarely taking himself out of position to throw a hit.[2] His coach in Detroit, Jack Adams, called Stewart "one of the best blueliners in the game",[2] and claimed he was the best defenceman in Red Wings history.[21] He was regarded as a good skater, able to clear the puck out of his zone and who rarely turned it over to the other team.[21]
Stewart explained how he got his nickname:
Jack Stewart said:
I bodychecked some fellow one night and when he woke up the next day in the hospital he asked who'd hit him with a blackjack
Here is a link to quotes posted about him by overpass.