Geoff Kinrade and Team Canada cruised to a 7-2 win over HC Davos in the Spengler Cup final last week in Switzerland.
The former Nelson Minor Hockey and Nelson Junior Leafs defenceman was part of a star-studded Canadian line-up that took part in the post-Christmas tournament.
The Canadians started off on the wrong note on Boxing Day with a 2-1 overtime loss to Germany’s Adler Mannheim, but righted the ship the next game with a 5-0 trouncing of the host Davos club.
The 1-0-1 record was good enough to put the Canadians in the semi-final where they took care of Switzerland’s Fribourg-Gotteron 5-1 to earn a spot in the final against Davos.
NHL star Patrice Bergeron scored one minute into the game and the Canadian team didn’t look back on their way to the 7-2 victory. NHL standout John Tavares and team captain Ryan Smyth each scored a pair in the win.
Kinrade was asked to pull on the red and white thanks to his play in the Swiss A League this season where he plays with Bern. With the NHL lockout, Kinrade has shared the locker room with Tavares and played against a host of high calibre NHL talent during the first half of the season.
Kinrade now adds the Spengler Cup title to a resume that includes a Calder Cup ring he earned with the AHL’s Binghampton Senators in 2011.