Stu Irving was from Beverly, Massachusetts, and never played hockey collegiately. He played in Quebec with the Montreal Junior Canadiens in Junior A hockey, but was drafted into the US Army after the 1968 season and served in Vietnam in 1970. He was sent back to Minneapolis in 1972 to attend Olympic try-outs and made the 1972 USA Olympic team. He also played with the 1973 USA National team which played at the World Championships (B Division).
Irving was drafted in 1972 by the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), but never played in the NHL or WHA. He spent his playng career after the Olympics in the minor professional leagues. He started out with the Jacksonville Barons of the American Hockey League, but played from 1972 until 1979 with the Saginaw Gears of the International Hockey League (IHL), and then finished his career in the IHL with the Grand Rapids Owls, Milwaukee Admirals, and Muskegon Mohawks, retiring after the 1982-83 season. Irving later became a hockey coach, coaching at Merrimack College. He stayed in shape by running and participated in the Boston Marathon in 1988 and 1991.
United States