Robert J. "Bob" Brinkworth (born May 10, 1942) is a Canadian retired ice hockey Center and coach who was a two-time All-American and ECAC Player of the Year for Rensselaer.[1]

Bob Brinkworth
Born (1942-05-10) May 10, 1942 (age 82)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Center
Played for Rensselaer
Omaha Knights
Providence Reds
Baltimore Clippers
Port Huron Flags
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1961–1974

Career

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Brinkworth was recruited to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute by the legendary Ned Harkness and began playing with the varsity team in 1961. As a sophomore he led the team in scoring, recording more than three points per game, and finished second in the nation with 71 points. He made the inaugural First Team All-ECAC roster and was a major reason for the Engineers making the ECAC Tournament. The team lost their quarterfinal match and ended their season in a disappointing fashion. As a junior Brinkwork again led the team in scoring and was third in the nation with 75 points. This time he received increasing attention for his efforts and was named an All-American as well as the ECAC Player of the Year.[2] Despite his performance, Rensselaer played rather poorly during the season and did not even make the conference tournament.

Harkness left prior to Brinkworth's senior season to take over at Cornell. The coach was replaced by Rube Bjorkman (who would leave after the 1964 season) and the team rebounded with a much better campaign. Brinkworth was named team co-captain with Jerry Knightley and got the team to post an 18–8 record and return to the conference tournament. Brinkworth helped the team with its first ECAC tournament game but could not overcome the stout defense of St. Lawrence in the semifinal. RPI won what they thought was Brinkworth's final college game over long-time rival Clarkson to finish third in the tournament and Brinkworth was named to the All-Tournament First Team. When the NCAA selection committee passed over St. Lawrence in favor of RPI for the NCAA Tournament, Brinkworth had one last chance to make an impact with the Engineers. While the team lest to Denver in the semifinal, they recovered for a 2–1 win over Providence in the consolation game and Brinkworth able to end on a high note. He finished the season as the second highest scorer in the nation for the second time, behind only Knightley with 70 points.

After graduating, Brinkworth turned to a professional career, joining the Omaha Knights in the second season of the CPHL. The following year Brinkworth jumped up to the AHL, playing with the Providence Reds and Baltimore Clippers over four seasons. He was never able to get a call-up to the NHL, however, and moved to the IHL in 1970. In his first season with the Port Huron Flags the team finished 6th out of 7 teams but made the postseason and went on a stunning run. The Flags won the championship with Brinkworth leading the way, scoring 10 goals and 18 points in 14 games. The next season the team finished second in their division and went on a second postseason run to capture their second consecutive Turner Cup. Brinkworth spent two more seasons with Port Huron before retiring as a player.

Brinkworh began his second career as a coach, working with amateur and professional teams for many seasons. In 2004 he became the head coach for Florida Gulf Coast and headed the school's club team for 15 seasons.[3] He was the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II coach of the year in 2009. He was inducted into the RPI Athletic Hall of Fame in 1968.[4]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1961–62 Rensselaer ECAC Hockey 22 41 30 71 10
1962–63 Rensselaer ECAC Hockey 23 34 41 75 8
1963–64 Rensselaer ECAC Hockey 26 35 35 70 2
1964–65 Omaha Knights CPHL 67 15 15 30 10 6 2 0 2 8
1965–66 Providence Reds AHL 57 11 12 23 6
1966–67 Baltimore Clippers AHL 56 9 14 23 12 3 0 1 1 2
1967–68 Baltimore Clippers AHL 23 6 8 14 6
1968–69 Baltimore Clippers AHL 73 24 19 43 30 4 0 0 0 0
1970–71 Port Huron Flags IHL 70 22 39 61 12 14 10 8 18 0
1971–72 Port Huron Wings IHL 70 29 47 76 6 15 6 8 14 2
1972–73 Port Huron Wings IHL 55 26 32 58 25 11 3 4 7 2
1973–74 Port Huron Wings IHL 14 5 2 7 0
NCAA Totals 71 110 106 216 20
AHL Totals 209 50 53 103 54 7 0 1 1 2
IHL Totals 209 82 120 202 43 40 19 20 39 4

Awards and honors

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Award Year
All-ECAC Hockey First Team 1961–62 [5]
All-ECAC Hockey First Team 1962–63 [5]
AHCA East All-American 1962–63 [1]
All-ECAC Hockey First Team 1963–64 [5]
AHCA East All-American 1963–64 [6]
ECAC Hockey All-Tournament First Team 1964 [7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "1962-1963 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
  2. ^ "ECAC Awards". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
  3. ^ "Coaches Corner". Florida Gulf Coast. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "Robert J. Brinkworth". RPI Engineers. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "ECAC All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  6. ^ "1963-1964 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
  7. ^ "All-Tournament Honors" (PDF). ECAC Hockey. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Award Created
ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year
1961–62
Succeeded by
Preceded by ECAC Hockey Player of the Year
1962–63, 1963–64
Succeeded by