Ex-Union blueliner Stuart retires

by Ryan Fay

Former Union defenseman Shawn Stuart has retired from professional hockey after two seasons, Garnet Hockey Report has learned.

Stuart, a rock on the blueline for the Dutchmen from 2009-13, said he made the decision before the season.

Stuart (center) with Caen during the 2013-14 season

"It's hard to explain. But when you get the feeling, you know that it's the right time to give up hockey," Stuart said. "As hockey has been such a huge part of my life for so long, it's extremely difficult to go from skating, training and thinking about hockey everyday to having no hockey related responsibilities overnight. It was definitely an adjustment and the toughest decision of my life, but I think that it was just the right time to move on."

Stuart spent both of his professional seasons in the French Elite League, the highest level of pro hockey in France. In 2013-14, he appeared in 26 games with Caen, scoring two goals and eight assists. He spent last year with Amiens, where he had seven assists in 26 contests. The year with Amiens gave him a chance to re-unite with defenseman Greg Coburn, one of his teammates at Union.

The 26-year-old said the two years in France were a time he'll never forget.

"The highlight of my pro career was the lifestyle and friendships that accompanied it, and where it took me," Stuart said. "Playing in France for two years allowed me not only to play pro hockey, but to do so in Europe. Getting paid to live in France and play hockey was something I never anticipated. Not only did this allow me to live in Europe, but following [last] season, I traveled Europe for a month with Coburn and another teammate. This was something I probably never would have had the opportunity to do if were not for playing pro hockey in Europe."

Along the way, Stuart saw action in some big games during his pro career, including the France Cup in Marseilles last January. Amiens was the runner-up in the competition, losing 5-3 in the final to Rouen.

"The opportunity to go to Marseilles was pretty awesome. But to play in a game like that just added to the experience," Stuart recalled.

Since closing the chapter on his playing career, Stuart has taken a position in the finance department at his old prep school, the Edge School in his native Calgary. But he hasn't severed ties with hockey all the way. He also serves as an assistant coach for the school's Bantam AA team.

"That has helped a lot with the adjustment," Stuart said. "I can still go on the ice everyday and have not been completely removed from hockey."

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