The extended Ohio hockey family grabbed made headlines Thursday when the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they had added Gary Agnew — father of Bobcats’ all-time leading scorer Brett Agnew — to the staff as an assistant coach.
Gary is entering his ninth season as an assistant coach in the National Hockey League. He spent the last two seasons coaching the St. Louis Blues, after working with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2006-2010.
“It’s like a new positive thing,” Brett said. “For him to go to Pittsburgh is pretty special. I have a lot of friends from Pittsburgh, and I play with a lot of guys who are from the Pittsburgh area. For my dad to be able to coach a team that has a shot to win a Stanley Cup and work with players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is definitely special.”
Prior to beginning his NHL coaching career, Agnew coached the Blue Jackets’ American Hockey League affiliate in Syracuse. He also spent 11 years in the Ontario Hockey League.
In his two years in St. Louis, his teams finished no lower than fourth in the Western Conference.
Brett has never had a chance to play under his father directly, but says his father still succeeded in providing leadership for his son both as a coach and a parent.
“He’s taught me a lot about hockey, and the ins and outs of the game,” Brett said. “But I think he’s taught me even more about life in general and just how to be a good person. I’ve learned a lot from him from both sides of things.”
Although Brett graduated from Ohio this past spring, Gary’s new job will allow the family to remain close, as Brett’s sister, Lindsey, is a sophomore who plays soccer at Ohio State.
As for whether the family plans a move to Pittsburgh in the coming months, Brett says that is the “million dollar question” at the moment.
Brett was the Bobcats’ leading scorer in the 2013-2014 season, finishing with 53 points.
Read more about the Agnew's father-son relationship by clicking here.
aw987712@ohio.edu
@_tonywolfe_
