A signed Cam Stewart card from when he was with the Bruins. Photo from ebay.com user authenicsigs.
Boston Bruins history for September 18:
1904: Bun Cook (full name Frederick Joseph Cook) was born in Kingston, Ontario. He went by the nickname Bun, which led to some bread-related puns during his NHL career. For example, when playing with the New York Rangers, he was on what was known as the Bread Line alongside and Frank Boucher and the other Cook sibling, Bill. The Bread Line really nourished the team (sorry) in the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals because every single New York goal scored in that series was provided by a member of that line. He added another Stanley Cup in 1933.
He then became part of the Bruins in 1936, playing his last NHL season in Boston. His production had dropped quite a bit–the bread perhaps went stale–but he played a few more years with the old Providence Reds before retiring. At the time he was with Providence, he was already transitioning into being a coach, just playing here and there too. During his time coaching in the AHL, he won seven Calder Cups (including two with Providence), which is still a record for AHL coaches. He is also the AHL coach with the most wins in history too. He died in 1988.
1933: Jack Bionda (full name John Arthur James Bionda) was born in Huntsville, Ontario. Bionda was proficient in two sports: hockey and lacrosse. During the 1950s and 60s, he played both sports at the same time. He became a big name in Canadian lacrosse and played with the Toronto Maple Leafs as well as the Bruins in the NHL. He also spent time in the minor leagues before his 1967 retirement. He died in 1999, but after his death, Huntsville honored its homegrown talent by renaming an arena for him in 2001. Though the arena got a big makeover for a G8 summit held in 2010, was renamed the Summit Centre for it and got a new Olympic-sized ice pad, the old one remains and is still named for Bionda.
1971: Cam Stewart (full name Cameron G. Stewart) is born in Kitchener, Ontario. Drafted 63rd overall by the Bruins in 1990, Stewart played for three years with the University of Michigan before going pro and joining up with Boston in 1993. He spent four years in the Bruins system, but didn’t play much or score much.
Nineties-era expansion teams were the ones that really gave him a bigger chance to play: the Florida Panthers and the Minnesota Wild, where he was a member of the inaugural team. Before the Houston Aeros became the Wild’s AHL affiliate, Stewart was there and helped them win the IHL’s Turner Cup. He retired during the 2000-01 season, though, due to the effects of a concussion. After retiring, though, he rejoined the Aeros as an assistant coach and front office adviser.
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