Skating away in Palos Verdes with the Stuart Family
Daughter Stella’s Princess nursery.
Photos by Tony LaBruno
In 1998, 18-year-old Brad Stuart, of Rocky Mountain House, Canada, population 7,000, was drafted third overall by the San Jose Sharks. Ten years and five trades later, the top-four defenceman won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings. Stuart recently retired after playing over 1,000 National Hockey League games, including a season with the LA Kings.
He said he’s enjoying his new, stay-at-home lifestyle. “I missed a lot of important school events. I missed my kids birthdays. You find yourself not wanting to go on the road,” Stuart acknowledged.
He and his wife Melissa relocated to Palos Verdes from Los Gatos and selected a home in the Estates at Trump National Golf Course that was designed by the architectural firm Archlite and was being built by Michael Mulligan.
The game room features table hockey, and pool and family photographs.
“We were awed by the seaside beauty and having Catalina Island as the backdrop for our view sealed the deal,” Melissa said.
The couple, who has three children, was equally impressed with the Palos Verdes Peninsula school system. During construction, the family rented a nearby home so they were could oversee the construction and the work with interior designer Lori Dennis on what they call “kid friendly, California Coastal.”
Brad’s hometown of Rocky Mountain House is close to Banff and Jasper National Parks and is described as a “cozy, high altitude, charming town with a main street peppered with quaint coffee shops and art galleries.”
The Stuart family at the beach having just taken up residence on the Peninsula. (Photo by Heidi Walter)
At, 14, he left home for Red Deer, Alberta to pursue his NHL dreams. “I moved in with my grandparents to play a better team with more exposure to scouts,” he said.
Stuart described his ice hockey career a “crazy adventure of trades.”
“I learned to never order drapes because by the time they came, we were already packing up and moving to our next location,” Melissa said.
Brad Stuart, with sons Logan and Jake, is honored by the Colorado Avalanche upon his retirement in 2016. Photo courtesy of the Stuart family.
The Stuarts said they made many friends with coaches and team managers. But in the end, Brad said, “You are just a number. We learned never to get too comfortable in our environment because it was always changing. Two months after I was granted a two year extension with the San Jose Sharks, I was traded to the Boston Bruins.”
His new, stay at home lifestyle, is a welcome change for his family. “This is what a family feels like, this is what normal is,” Melissa said.
Backyard balconies overlook the ocean and, in the distance, Catalina Island.
Their new home reflects their new lifestyle. The colors are warm, it’s open and spacious and the kitchen has a 14-foot, granite island where the family gathers for meals.
The couple put the barbeque right outside the great room to make it easily accessible from the kitchen for family gatherings. Evidence of her husband’s adaption to his new lifestyle, Melissa said, is “the other day he came home with a new crock pot.”
Leaded glass doors open to the the grand foyer, featuring a scaled glass chandelier.
The floors are a combination of polished limestone and wide plank, walnut hardwood. Double, leaded glass entry doors open to a grand foyer lit by a massive, green tinted chandelier. Extra wide stairs lead to the second level, which is spacious and generously lit by skylights. Daughter Stella’s nursery is a Princess room with a crown on the wall by the head of the crib and a delicate, crystal chandelier that hangs in the center of the room. The taupe and pastel pinks along with natural cotton and linen fabrics create a warm feeling in the small room, marked with a capital “S” on the wall. Boys Logan and Jake have a huge, ice hockey mural in their bedroom with bunk beds and sports equipment expressive of their love of the sport. Stuart coaches both boy’s Junior Kings Teams at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo.
The downstairs has white, coffered ceilings with modern details and wide open living spaces conducive to keeping an eye on the children while tending to other activities. The kitchen is well appointed, with five bar stools in sea green, an extra large, stainless steel refrigerator and a butler’s pantry to hold a bounty of kitchen essentials. The game room features family photos, a sign that says, “Family Love,” table hockey and a pool table. The room opens up to the backyard playhouse, slide and pool.
Melissa said there was a lot of stark white on the walls when they moved in, and after living with it for awhile they decided to repaint with warmer, light seagreen and peach walls that blend seamlessly with the furnishings and decor. The upfront ocean view and Catalina Island at the back door step is different from the mountain where Stuart grew up with and also a world away from Silicon Valley, where they last lived.
Stuart said he’s fully satisfied coaching his sons’ hockey teams, playing golf, helping with the children’s carpools and spending time with his family.
But he hasn’t forgotten how he got to where he is.
“It’s not about scoring the goal. It’s about working hard. That’s all we ask for, I tell my kids,” the Stanley Cup winner said.