Ed Kea
Adriaan Jozef Kea (January 19, 1948 – August 31, 1999) was a Dutch-born Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League with the Atlanta Flames and St. Louis Blues from 1974 to 1983.
| Ed Kea | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
January 19, 1948 Weesp, North Holland, Netherlands | ||
| Died |
August 31, 1999 (aged 51) Six Mile Lake, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Atlanta Flames St. Louis Blues | ||
| Playing career | 1969–1983 | ||
Playing career
Born in Weesp, North Holland, Netherlands, but raised in Collingwood, Ontario (his family moved to Canada when he was four years old),[1] Kea started his National Hockey League career with the Atlanta Flames. He also played with the St. Louis Blues. His career lasted from 1974 to 1983. Kea was the father of stand-up comedian Gabe Kea from Cincinnati, and uncle of Jeff Beukeboom and Joe Nieuwendyk.[2]
Injury and retirement
Kea was playing for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, the Blues' Central Hockey League affiliate in Salt Lake City in 1983 when he suffered severe head trauma as he fell and hit his head on the ice during a game. The injury left him physically and mentally disabled. Because he was playing in a minor league game, NHL benefits for catastrophic injuries did not apply to his case, and he and his family struggled financially for several years because he was unable to hold a job.
Post-playing career and death
On September 1, 1999, Kea accidentally drowned at his family's summer home in Six Mile Lake in Ontario. He was 51 years old.[3][4] In 2012, Dave Bidini claimed in an opinion article for the National Post that Kea committed suicide due to undiagnosed injuries and concussions from his playing career.[5]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1967–68 | Collingwood Legionnaires | OHA-C | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Collingwood Kings | OHA Sr | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Collingwood Legionnaires | OHA-C | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Collingwood Kings | OHA Sr | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Jersey Devils | EHL | 52 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 130 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Seattle Totems | WHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Jersey Devils | EHL | 74 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 148 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | St. Petersburg Suns | EHL | 63 | 10 | 39 | 49 | 107 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 20 | ||
| 1972–73 | Omaha Knights | CHL | 68 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 145 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | ||
| 1973–74 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 51 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 50 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Omaha Knights | CHL | 21 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 78 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 101 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 1976–77 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 72 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 63 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1977–78 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 60 | 3 | 23 | 26 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 53 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 69 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 79 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1980–81 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 74 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 60 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 1981–82 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 78 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 62 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1982–83 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 46 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 9 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 583 | 30 | 145 | 175 | 508 | 32 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 39 | ||||
References
- "Legends of Hockey – Ed Kea". www.legendsofhockey.net. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- "Ed Kea". stlouisblueslegends.blogspot.lt. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- "Ed Kea Page 1". www.collingwoodsportshalloffame.ca. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- "1973-74 Atlanta Flames Ed Kea Jersey". thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.ca. January 19, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- Bidini, Dave (August 20, 2011). "It's not always the best game you can name". National Post.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- NYT