Gary Agnew (born May 24, 1960) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...

ice hockey coach currently serving as an associate coach with the

Abbotsford Canucks The Abbotsford Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and members of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in the 2021–22 season with home games at Abbotsford Centre as the AHL affil ...

. He was formerly an assistant coach with the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have play ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. He has also served as an assistant coach with the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...

and

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

of the National Hockey League.

Playing career

As a player, Agnew played four years for the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Americ ...

, and then for the

Fredericton Express The Fredericton Express were a professional ice hockey team based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League between 1981 and 1988. The Express were affiliated with the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks o ...

of the American Hockey League and the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...

of the International Hockey League.

Coaching career

In 1990 Agnew took over the head coaching job of the

London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their cu ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

. He won the

Matt Leyden Trophy The Matt Leyden Trophy is awarded annually to the Ontario Hockey League Coach of the Year. The award is chosen by fellow OHL general managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for a coach from their own hockey club. Coaches receive five points for ...

as Coach of the Year in 1992–93. In 1994–95 Agnew took over the coaching job of the

Kingston Frontenacs The Kingston Frontenacs are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The Frontenacs play home games at Leon's Centre, which opened in 2008. Team history predates the OHA, back to 1945, to a te ...

and led them to their first division title in 1994–95. He moved back to the Knights from 1997 to 2000 and won another Matt Leyden Trophy in 1997–98. From 2000–2006 he assumed the reins of the

Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Syracuse, New York, at the Upstate Medical University Arena. They are the primary development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tam ...

of the American Hockey League. In 2006, he graduated to become the assistant coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He held the record for most wins in Crunch history with 220, before being surpassed by Ben Groulx in 2022. With the November 13, 2006 firing of

head coach

Gerard Gallant Gerard Gallant (born September 2, 1963) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously served as the head coach for the Columbus Bl ...

, Agnew was named interim head coach. On November 22,

Ken Hitchcock Kenneth S. Hitchcock (born December 17, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach. Hitchcock coached the Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League ( ...

was named the new head coach. Agnew led the team in that evening's game, with Hitchcock set to take over the following day. Agnew's record as interim head coach was 0–4–1. It was reported on June 16, 2010 that new Blue Jackets head coach

Scott Arniel Scott William Arniel (born September 17, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current associate coach of the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets. Previously, he was the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets and assoc ...

had fired Agnew as assistant coach. On June 15, 2012, the St. Louis Blues announced Agnew had been hired as an assistant coach, under the direction of Ken Hitchcock. He was relieved of his duties on May 7, 2014. It was announced on July 10, 2014, that the

had hired Agnew as an assistant coach. Agnew and head coach Mike Johnston were fired on December 12, 2015. Agnew was hired by the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce Bo ...

for the associate coach position for their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate

Utica Comets The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated wit ...

, under head coach

Trent Cull Trent Cull (born September 27, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who most recently served as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Cull played ten seasons of professional h ...

, for the 2017–18 season. He retained the associate coaching position with organization when the affiliate relocated as the

in 2021.

Personal life

Agnew's daughter, Lindsay, is a professional soccer player. He has a master's degree in coaching from the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames Ri ...

Coaching record

References

External links

* 1960 births Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey forwards Columbus Blue Jackets coaches Ice hockey people from Ontario Kingston Frontenacs coaches Living people London Knights coaches Pittsburgh Penguins coaches St. Louis Blues coaches Sportspeople from Niagara Falls, Ontario University of New Brunswick alumni University of Western Ontario alumni Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) players Fredericton Express players {{Canada-icehockey-coach-stub