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Born in Gainsborough, Saskatchewan, but raised in Hartney, Manitoba, he would find success in hockey early on. Playing for his bantam team, he would help lead his team to championships in 1960 and 1961. In 1966, he would earn a provincial juvenile title.
Lew would begin his professional career with time with the Flin Flon Bombers the following year, playing with future Hall-of-Famer and teammate Bobby Clarke. He would pick up 49 points in 56 games in his last year with the team.
Drafted in the first round, eighth overall by the Philadelphia Flyer in 1968, he would begin playing for the AHL team. In his 70 games during the 1968-69 season, he had 25 points in 70 games. In his time with the Aces that year, he would help take them to the Calder Cup Final.
The following year, he would make his debut in the NHL, playing for the Flyers for 66 games. In those 66 games, he would have 19 points, along with 19 penalty minutes. He would up his game total in 1970-71, with 78 games. In those 78 games, he had 12 points.
The following year, he would split his time with the the Richmond Robins and the Flyers. In 12 games with the Robins, he had nine points, along with 10 points in 58 games with the Flyers.
Respected for his defensive abilities, he would never shake the label as being a defensive-forward and would only play in limited capacities in the NHL. In 1971-72, his play was so respected by his team that he won the Unsung Hero award with the Flyers.
In 1972-73, he would find himself with the Atlanta Flames after they claimed him in the expansion draft, most likely costing him a chance at the Stanley Cup with the Flyers. He would end up playing in 77 games and recording 15 points. This would being a four year stretch where he would not play a single game in the minors. In his next two seasons with the Flames, he would record 20 total points. In 1974-75, he was playing for the Washington Capitals after being claimed in yet another expansion draft, recording four points in 18 games and 11 points in nine games with the Robins.
By 1974-75, he was playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins after a trade, a team he would play for for the next four years. In the first three years with the team, he would record 12, 9 and 3 points. Eventually playing for the Brooke Dusters in 1977-78, he had 20 points in 65 games, followed by two points in eight games with the Penguins to close out his career.
He would play 563 NHL games in all, recording 39 goals, 52 assists and 91 points. During his NHL career, he would make the playoffs in four seasons, playing 17 games and recording no points. During his time in the NHL, he was known as a highly-effective penalty killer.
He would be inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.
Information for this piece comes from Wikipedia, HockeyDB, Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, Philadelphia Legends, NHL.com,
