Even at six years old, Conor Geekie never backed down from a challenge and was often quick to duel his older siblings, whether that was in backyard games or on an ice rink.
Conor’s older brother, Morgan, is six years older, which meant it was up to Conor and the middle Geekie sibling, Noah, to take on the oldest Geekie in frequent 2-v-1 sports battles.
Now nearly 15 years later, Conor and Morgan will renew some of that backyard family spirit when the siblings play against each other in the NHL for the first time on Thursday as Conor’s Tampa Bay Lightning host Morgan and the Boston Bruins at AMALIE Arena.
“I think I was six and Morgan was 12, and I was trying to find my way in there. I think that’s what makes it so special is he kind of taught me how to compete, and that’s kind of who I am,” 20-year-old Conor said Thursday morning. “Being able to do this against him, it’s gonna be special.”
Conor is in the midst of his rookie NHL season, while Morgan, 26, cracked the NHL in 2019. The latter is in his second season with the Bruins.
With their six-year age gap, the brothers have never played an organized hockey game as opponents before tonight. The oldest sibling said he thinks Conor learned his competitive nature and team mentality from the family games.
"He's the youngest of the three of us,” Morgan said of Conor. “So they all have that competitive nature in them to try and show us up. ... It was me versus them two (Conor and Noah) all the time. So maybe some teamwork. That was probably my other brother. But you know, it's all in good fun, and I know neither of us would be here without the other one. It's kind of where it got us today.”
Thursday will mark a Geekie family gathering, as Conor and Morgan’s mother, Tobi, is in attendance for the Bruins’ mother’s trip. Their father, Craig, will join Noah and his wife as well as Tobi’s sister and brother at the game.
Tonight’s venue brings somewhat of a full-circle feeling—the Geekie family’s first NHL game was in the Lightning arena during a family vacation in November 2009. They bought tickets for $20 outside the arena and watched the game together. Tobi still has the tickets.
The Geekie’s mother is glad that she gets to leave tonight’s game with a win either way, and she’s hoping to see Geekie goals.
She plans to don Morgan’s jersey with a Tampa Bay Lightning hat. That could be reversed when the family attends the rematch in Boston on Jan. 14.
“I hope they don't fight because they always bug me and say, ‘Mom, I'm gonna fight him.’…I just hope they both play good. I actually hope they both score a goal, and I want to see the banter between the two of them. Morgan is more lowkey, doesn't want to be noticed, and then there’s Conor,” a laughing Tobi said. “So we’ll just see how that comes together.”
The siblings compete in nearly everything even as adults. When the sports world hushed during the COVID pandemic, card games among the Geekie siblings included pregame speeches, interviews and some spirited arguments.
Both Morgan and Conor said they look forward to another Geekie competition tonight.
And though Conor called Morgan an “awesome” older brother, tonight is for keeps.
"I think it's gonna be fun. A lot of emotions, I think, but we're both pretty competitive people,” Conor said. “I’d say one (me) probably more than the other, so I think it's gonna be an interesting game.”
Noah has tossed around a few potential final scores already to Morgan, and Tobi expects the family group chat to pick up momentum closer to puck drop.
Whenever the final buzzer sounds—and regardless of the final score—Thursday will be a “special" night for the Geekie family.
“Mom’s probably my biggest fan, I’d say, so hopefully she’s rooting for me–no offense,” Conor said. “But it’s so much fun. Everyone being able to come down and make it, it makes it so much more special.”
