Follow Paul on Twitter: @PaulStewart22
Longtime Boston Bruins defenseman Gary Doak passed away yesterday at age 71 after battling cancer. I just spoke with Gary last week. Doakie never let on that his situation was nearly that grave. We joked and laughed, talked about hockey and the good old days.
I never played as teammates with Gary, but he's a guy with whom I'd have loved to play. I admired how he played. He was never a flashy player but he was very steady and dependable. He'd fearlessly put his body on the line to block shots, got the puck up and out of the defensive zone and boxed out effectively.
Off the ice, Gary had a heart of gold. He never said no to helping out charities or lending an ear or the sweat of his brow to assist an old teammate -- or even on-ice rival -- in need. Just a salt-of-the-earth decent man and a good friend to many.
Here's a quick Doakie story from our playing days.Once in a game for the Quebec Nordiques when I was sitting in the penalty box in Boston, Doakie came over to advised me of the follow.
"Watch out, Stewy," he said. "We're gonna kick your ass!"
I responded with the following.
"Gary, just go back to the bench. I'm only doing the heavyweights tonight."
He half-grinned at me. One of the things about the hockey world that outsiders often misunderstand is that the best guys to chirp aren't the ones you dislike -- with those guys, it's all business -- it's the ones you like with whom you enjoy trading verbal jabs.
Doakie was very easy to like. Rest in peace, my friend. My sincerest condolences go to Gary's family and to all those that he loved -- both on and off the ice.
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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Today, Stewart serves as director of hockey officiating for the ECAC.