Jason Fitzsimmons
Encyclopedia
Jason Fitzsimmons is a retired Canadian ice-hockey goaltender, who played 6 seasons in the ECHL and AHL, most notably for the South Carolina Stingrays
. He is currently a Professional Scout for the Washington Capitals
of the National Hockey League
.
,
Fitzsimmons made his professional debut with the Hamilton Canucks
of the AHL in the 1992-93 season, playing in 14 games with a 4.04 goals-against-average. He then played the remainder of the season in the ECHL with the Columbus Chill
, posting 10 wins in 23 games.
Fitzsimmons found most of his success as a player with the South Carolina Stingrays
, posting 24 wins in 37 games during the 1994-95 season, bringing success to the then-new hockey team. He had two more stints with the Stingrays following this season, before retiring as a player and becoming an assistant coach for the Stingrays.
At the end of the 2006-07 season, Fitzsimmons stepped down as head coach, and assistant coach and former Stingray Jared Bednar
became the head coach. He has since become a scout for the Stingrays' NHL affiliate, the Washington Capitals
.
South Carolina Stingrays
The South Carolina Stingrays are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Stingrays play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the North Charleston Coliseum. The Carolina Ice Palace, also located in...
. He is currently a Professional Scout for the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
.
Playing career
Drafted out of the WHL in the 11th Round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft1991 NHL Entry Draft
The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The draft was famous for the controversy surrounding star first overall draft pick, touted by some observers to be The Next One, Eric Lindros, who was drafted by the...
,
Fitzsimmons made his professional debut with the Hamilton Canucks
Hamilton Canucks
The franchise of the Hamilton Canucks was the top minor league affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks for two seasons in the American Hockey League. Today, the franchise is known as the Syracuse Crunch....
of the AHL in the 1992-93 season, playing in 14 games with a 4.04 goals-against-average. He then played the remainder of the season in the ECHL with the Columbus Chill
Columbus Chill
The Columbus Chill was a professional ice hockey team that played in the East Coast Hockey League from October 1991 through the 1998-99 season. They played at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum in Columbus, Ohio. The Chill left Columbus in 1999 and relocated to Reading, Pennsylvania...
, posting 10 wins in 23 games.
Fitzsimmons found most of his success as a player with the South Carolina Stingrays
South Carolina Stingrays
The South Carolina Stingrays are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Stingrays play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the North Charleston Coliseum. The Carolina Ice Palace, also located in...
, posting 24 wins in 37 games during the 1994-95 season, bringing success to the then-new hockey team. He had two more stints with the Stingrays following this season, before retiring as a player and becoming an assistant coach for the Stingrays.
Coaching career
Starting with the 1998-99 season, Fitzsimmons was the assistant coach of the South Carolina Stingrays. Following the 2001-02 season, he was promoted to head coach. The 'Rays saw much regular season success under Fitzsimmons' coaching, seeing 188 wins in the 5 seasons he was coach. However, the Stingrays didn't advance past the second round of the playoffs, and didn't qualify for the playoffs in his final season as coach.At the end of the 2006-07 season, Fitzsimmons stepped down as head coach, and assistant coach and former Stingray Jared Bednar
Jared Bednar
Jared Bednar is a retired Canadian professional ice-hockey player, currently the head coach of the Peoria Riverman of the AHL.- Playing career :...
became the head coach. He has since become a scout for the Stingrays' NHL affiliate, the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
.