of his efforts and success with the program. Born on May 10, 1942, Bob began skating and playing hockey on the ponds and rinks in his hometown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bob attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, where he played three years of hockey at the NCAA Division 1 level. While at RPI, he was named "ECAC Rookie of the Year" in 1962 and "ECAC Player of the Year" both in 1963 and 1964. He earned 216 points in 71 games while at RPI and is tied with Adam Oates as the third leading scorer in Rensselaer hockey history. Bob was named as an All-American twice and is considered one of the best Captains in RPI sports history. Brinkworth was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens upon graduation and immediately turned pro.
Bob started his professional career with the Omaha Knights of the Central Professional Hockey League (CPHL) in 1964. He then played in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Providence Reds and Baltimore Clippers from 1965-1969. After much success in the AHL, Brinkworth moved on to capture two Turner Cups while playing in the International Hockey League (IHL) for the Port Huron Wings (the Detroit Red Wings farm team), from 1970-1974. At the end of the 1973-1974 season, Bob retired from professional hockey after playing nine seasons, accruing 335 points as a pro.
Brinkworth started his coaching career in the Michigan hockey system, standing behind the bench of such notable teams as the Little Caesars "AAA" Hockey Club. He has coached at both the amateur and professional levels and helped produce National Hockey League (NHL) standouts Adam Burt, formerly of the Carolina Hurricanes, and Mike Modano, of the Dallas Stars.
D2 Selects Head Coach Paul Lowden commented on the addition of Brinkworth by saying, "It will be a great experience to coach alongside Bob Brinkworth, as he has done an outstanding job building the FGCU program from scratch." Lowden goes on to say that "Bob has a lifetime of experience having played NCAA D1 hockey for RPI as well as being a part of the NHL Alumni Select team that traveled overseas to play several European teams. The 2009 Select Team players will be the beneficiary of Bob's insight to the game."
Coach James Martin comes to the D2 Selects with a tremendous amount of experience within the ACHA. As the current Head Coach of the Michigan State hockey program, Martin has successfully led the Spartans to two National Championships in both 2005 and 2007. He was selected as the ACHA Division 2 Coach of the Year in 2007 and continues to guide one of the most successful programs within the ACHA year in and year out.
Born in Janesville, Wisconsin, Martin moved to the hockey hotbed of Rochester, Michigan at the young age of eight and began playing hockey in the Greater Detroit area growing up as a goaltender. After a successful minor hockey playing career, Martin found his passion in coaching and began coaching high school hockey in the Detroit area. As a hockey enthusiast, Martin became an integral part of every team in which he was involved and has been a positive asset to every program for which he has coached.
In addition to Martin’s coaching, Jim has been very involved with the ACHA behind the scenes as well. In 2003, he was elected to be the commissioner of the Great Midwest Hockey League (GMHL), which is arguably one of the best leagues within the ACHA. Additionally, Martin was elected as the official secretary of the ACHA in 2005 and serves on the ACHA Executive Board. Coach Martin is a true ambassador to the game of hockey and will certainly prove to be an extremely valuable asset for the D2 Selects.
Martin currently resides in Troy, Michigan working fulltime as a forensic accountant, but devoting a majority of his spare time to the sport of hockey and his players at Michigan State University. Martin has also published two books in the field of accounting on both internal control and operational integrity, while teaching accounting classes at the University of Detroit-Mercy. Martin looks forward to "getting to know players from across the country and representing the ACHA with a quality team."
Head Coach Lowden could not be more excited to have Martin on board and commented that he is "honored that Jim Martin accepted the invitation to coach for the 2009 Select Team as he has done a fantastic job with Michigan State in leading them to two National Championships in both 2005 and 2007." Lowden went on to say that "Martin brings a wealth of knowledge and a great sense of humor and that the D2 Selects will benefit from his passion for the game and attention to detail when coaching." |
