After playing three seasons of junior hockey for the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League, Kinnear was drafted in the seventh round, 162nd overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. One of the team's original players, he skated with River Rats for the first six years of his eight-year professional career, helping them reach the playoffs every year. Over that time, he was a member of the River Rats' 1995 Calder Cup championship team, was selected to four consecutive AHL All-Star Classics and served as Albany's captain for three seasons. In August 1999, Kinnear made his National Hockey League debut after he signed with the Atlanta Thrashers as a free agent. He appeared in four games with Thrashers and played for the other part of the 1999-2000 season with Atlanta's IHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears. After starting the 2000-01 season with Orlando, he was traded back to New Jersey on Nov. 6, 2000, and played 14 games with the Albany River Rats before being forced to retire due to injury in December 2000. He retired as the all-time leader in games played and penalty minutes for the River Rats and was one of the first inductees into the Albany River Rats Hall of Fame. He was honoured during a game versus Providence with a special "Geordie Kinnear Night" when his #4 sweater was retired and hoisted to the rafters.
Coaching career
After an eight-year professional career, Kinnear began his coaching career when he joined the Albany River Rats coaching staff in August 2001. He worked for the New Jersey Devils' minor-league affiliate from 2001–2006, serving as Albany's assistant coach for four seasons and working as a special assignment scout with the New Jersey Devils during the 2004-05 season. He spent the 2006-07 season serving as a part-time assistant and special consultant for Albany during their first year as the Carolina Hurricanes top minor-league affiliate. During the Charlotte Checkers' 2015-2016 campaign, he spent his eighth full season working for the Carolina Hurricanes organization and his thirteenth season as an assistant coach in the American Hockey League. Kinnear was hired by the Florida Panthers as head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, for the 2016–17 season. This was Kinnear's first head coaching position.
