On Episode 40 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Gary Agnew.
Agnew, the third head coach in franchise history, spent six seasons in that position with the Crunch, starting in the 2000-01 season. He was the first head coach for the Crunch during their affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets, helping the team get off the ground in their first NHL season. Agnew led the Crunch to at least a 0.500 record in five of his six seasons, and he guided the team to the playoffs four times.
After helping the Crunch make the playoffs in his first season (2000-01), Agnew helmed the team to their first division championship in 2001-02 with a 39-23-5 (13 ties) record. They advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals before falling to eventual Calder Cup champion Chicago in seven games. Agnew's final season with the team saw the Crunch post a franchise record 47 wins (47-25-5-3) in 2005-06.
Agnew finished his six-year tenure with the Crunch with a 220-177-33-7 and 43 ties record. His 220 wins stood as the Crunch's franchise record until Ben Groulx surpassed him near the end of the 2021-22 season. Agnew was promoted onto the coaching staff with the Blue Jackets following the 2005-06 season.
He remains active in coaching and is in his sixth season with the Vancouver Canucks organization as an assistant coach for their AHL affiliate as of the 2022-23 season.
On the show, Agnew discusses his time in Syracuse, his continued connection to the community, and much more.
