Stewart never was a big scorer during his 21 NHL seasons. He never finished with more than 21 goals or 39 points in a season. But few forwards were better at helping to keep the other team off the scoreboard, and Stewart was a regular for the Toronto Maple Leafs when they won three consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1962-64.

Though he was born in Calgary, Stewart played his junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association, the forerunner of the Ontario Hockey League, and won the Memorial Cup with Guelph in 1952. He joined the Maple Leafs in 1952-53 and had 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists). It was the first of nine straight seasons where he scored least 13 goals.

Stewart became a 20-goal scorer for the first time in 1958-59, with his 21 goals helping the Maple Leafs qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing the previous two seasons. He developed into a consistent role player during Toronto's three straight championship seasons.

His time in Toronto ended when the Maple Leafs traded him to the Boston Bruins on June 8, 1965.

Stewart scored 20 and 14 goals, respectively, in two seasons with Boston before being exposed in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft and selected by the St. Louis Blues, who traded him to the New York Rangers on Nov. 29, 1967. Stewart played the same role with the improving Rangers that he had in Toronto: a solid defensive forward who could chip in offensively.

The Rangers traded Stewart to Vancouver on Nov. 16, 1971, then reacquired him March 5, 1972 for their playoff push, which ended with a loss to the Bruins in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

In 1972-73 Stewart played 11 games for the Rangers and 22 for the expansion New York Islanders before retiring with 529 points (276 goals, 253 assists) in 1,353 NHL games, as well as 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 119 playoff games.

Stewart coached the Rangers for the first 39 games of the 1975-76 season but was fired after New York went 15-20 with four ties. He coached the Los Angeles Kings to a playoff berth in 1977-78 but was let go after they lost their best-of-3 Preliminary Round series against the Maple Leafs in two games. Stewart was 79 when he died March 17, 2012.