Geordie Kinnear
Geordie S. Kinnear | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 9, 1973 Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player (retired), coach |
| Years active | 1993–2001 (player), 2001–present (coach) |
| Known for | Playing defenseman for Albany River Rats and Atlanta Thrashers; head coach of Charlotte Checkers and Springfield Thunderbirds |
Geordie S. Kinnear (born July 9, 1973) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman who currently serves as the head coach for the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League (AHL). He appeared in four National Hockey League (NHL) games with the Atlanta Thrashers during the 1999–2000 season. His active playing tenure, spanning from 1993 to 2001, was largely spent competing in the AHL. Upon concluding his playing career, Kinnear moved into coaching and was appointed head coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2016.
Playing career
Before being selected 162nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Kinnear competed for three seasons with the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He then dedicated six seasons (1993–94 through 1998–99) to the Albany River Rats, consistently contributing to their playoff appearances each year. Notable achievements during this period include securing the Calder Cup championship in 1995, earning four consecutive AHL All-Star nods from 1995 to 1999, and captaining the team from 1996 until 1999.
In August 1999, Kinnear signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Thrashers and participated in four NHL contests during the 1999-2000 campaign. Simultaneously, he played for their International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears. After beginning the 2000-01 season with Orlando, he was traded back to New Jersey on November 6, 2000. He then played fourteen games for Albany before an injury forced his retirement in December of that year. At retirement, Kinnear held Albany River Rats records for most games played and penalty minutes and was among their inaugural Hall of Fame inductees. His number 4 jersey was officially retired during a commemorative event against Providence.
Coaching career
Following an eight-year professional playing span, Kinnear commenced his coaching career with the Albany River Rats in August 2001. He served four seasons as an assistant coach for Albany and simultaneously acted as a special assignment scout for the New Jersey Devils during the 2004-05 season. In the 2006-07 season, he fulfilled part-time assistant coaching duties and provided special consultancy for Albany in their debut year as the Carolina Hurricanes’ primary minor league affiliate. By the 2015-16 season, Kinnear had completed eight full seasons within the Hurricanes organization and amassed thirteen years as an assistant coach in the American Hockey League (AHL).
For the 2016–17 campaign, Kinnear was appointed head coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds, marking his first role as a head coach within the Florida Panthers’ AHL system. After leading Springfield for four seasons, he resumed head coaching responsibilities with the Charlotte Checkers beginning with the 2020–21 season following a shift in affiliation with the Panthers.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1989–90 | Norwich Merchants | NDJCHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Tillsonburg Titans | WOHL | 34 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 153 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Peterborough Petes U18 AA | OHL Jr B | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 63 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 195 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 36 | ||
| 1992–93 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 58 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 161 | 19 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 43 | ||
| 1993–94 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 59 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 197 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 1994–95 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 68 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 136 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 1995–96 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 73 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 170 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1996–97 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 59 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 175 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | ||
| 1997–98 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 78 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 206 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 68 | ||
| 1998–99 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 55 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 162 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Orlando Solar Bears | IHL | 69 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 231 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 1999–00 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Orlando Solar Bears | IHL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 406 | 17 | 68 | 85 | 1094 | 46 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 113 | ||||
| NHL totals | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1973 births
- Living people
- Albany River Rats players
- Atlanta Thrashers players
- Canadian ice hockey players abroad in the United States
- Canadian ice hockey coaches
- Canadian ice hockey defensemen
- Ice hockey athletes from Ontario
- New Jersey Devils draft selections
- Orlando Solar Bears (IHL) players
- Peterborough Petes (ice hockey) players
- Athletes originating from Norfolk County, Ontario
- Springfield Thunderbirds coaches
- New Jersey Devils draft picks