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Craig Cunningham

Coaching Notes: Sydor, Donatelli, Cunningham

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The St. Louis Blues have hired Darryl Sydor as their new assistant coach, re-joining Mike Yeo on his new club. Sydor worked with Yeo in Minnesota before taking a position with the Blues’ AHL affiliate this season. The former NHL defenseman and two-time Stanley Cup Champion played 1291 games in his career, scoring 507 points.

Yeo took over the head coaching job in St. Louis when Ken Hitchcock was fired mid-season, and turned the team around from their early season struggles. He’ll now go into next season with Sydor beside him on the bench, presumably in charge of the defenders that are now led by captain Alex Pietrangelo and up-and-coming Colton Parayko.

  • Pierre LeBrun of TSN gave a list of names that he believes the Buffalo Sabres are looking at in regards to their head coaching position, and many of them had already been publicly linked. One name that had been overlooked was Clark Donatelli, which Paul Hamilton of WGR 550 added in a follow-up tweet. Donatelli was the replacement for Mike Sullivan in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when he was promoted to the NHL in 2015-16, hired of course by new Sabres’ GM Jason Botterill when he was in charge of the baby-Penguins. Donatelli led the WBS Penguins to a 51-20-5 record this season, good for first overall in the AHL. While he has no NHL experience so far, he has been groomed all the way from the ECHL by Botterill, and perhaps is ready for the next step.
  • In some uplifting news, Craig Cunningham has been given a pro scout position with the Arizona Coyotes. The well-liked former captain of the Tucson Roadrunners collapsed on the ice in November and ended up losing part of his leg because of medical complications. He’ll never play professional hockey again, but will now be part of an NHL front office for at least the next two seasons. Just 26-years old, Cunningham has a long career ahead of him should he decide to remain in hockey and Arizona is the perfect place to get started; they’ve never been shy about giving responsibility to young men—just ask GM John Chayka.

Twelve Players Deemed Exempt From Expansion Due To Injury

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The list of players that will be exempt from the expansion draft due to long-term injury was sent out today, with Craig Custance of ESPN providing it for us. These are players who will likely never play in the NHL again, and thus will be exempt and not require protection even if they hold no-movement clauses. The list is as follows:

Dave Bolland (Arizona)
Craig Cunningham (Arizona)
Chris Pronger (Arizona)
Cody McCormick (Buffalo)
David Clarkson (Columbus)
Johan Franzen (Detroit)
Joe Vitale (Detroit)
Ryane Clowe (New Jersey)
Mikhail Grabovski (New York Islanders)
Pascal Dupuis (Pittsburgh)
Nathan Horton (Toronto)
Stephane Robidas (Toronto)

While none of these players would have likely been taken, it does allow Toronto, Columbus and New Jersey to officially scratch one of their no-movement clauses off their list and with it the automatic protection. Interestingly, Joffrey Lupul does not appear on the list despite missing more than an entire year and having very little affiliation with the Toronto Maple Leafs at this point. Since the list was agreed upon with the NHLPA, perhaps he maintains that he has plans to play again.

In a similar case, Marc Savard also doesn’t appear on the list for the Devils. Though Savard’s deal comes off the books this year and he’s clearly done with hockey, a similar case could be made for several of the others on this list including Pronger, who is working for the Department of Player Safety and Cunningham who recently lost his leg due to medical complications. Savard is coaching minor hockey while he still struggles with concussion symptoms, years after last playing in the league.

Injury Notes: Read, Cunningham, Anisimov, Guentzel

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Matt Read will not play again this season, after taking a shot to the arm in Thursday’s victory over the New York Islanders. He’ll be out six to eight weeks according to GM Ron Hextall, meaning it is likely some sort of a broken arm or wrist. Read had just 19 points this season and has really taken a step back in recent years. As a rookie, he scored 24 goals and 47 points, but has never been able to duplicate those numbers.

Read, 30, is signed for one more season with the Flyers at $3.625MM and will likely be relegated to bottom-six duty again next year. What looked like a very promising career after signing as a free agent out of college has taken a downward turn. He’ll try to rehab the injury and improve his play next season.

Snapshots: Cunningham, Halverson, Sestito

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Earlier this season Tucson Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham collapsed on the ice and was rushed to hospital. The 26-year old forward’s heart had stopped for an unknown reason, and needed ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) treatment to save his life. The procedure affected the circulation in his leg, and he had to make a decision. Tucson’s general manager Doug Soetaert put it this way to AZCentral’s Jeremy Cluff:

It’s life or limb, and obviously you pick life over limb, right? That was the way he’s moving forward. He’s been battling through the whole thing. We continue to battle with him. He’s going to make it.

Cunningham had part of his left leg amputated, but is now walking again with the help of a prosthetic. Ray Ferraro sent out a video of Cunningham walking down a hallway, dubbing it “the most awesome thing [he’s] seen in while.” It truly is awesome to see Cunningham up and walking again, and most importantly smiling as he approaches the camera. Everyone is wishing him luck as he gets his life back on track.

  • The New York Rangers will be without Rick Nash and Henrik Lundqvist tonight when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh. Both are day-to-day with minor injuries. The team has recalled Brandon Halverson from the ECHL on an emergency basis to replace Lundqvist, meaning Antti Raanta will be in net. Halverson was the Rangers’ second-round pick in 2014 and made his professional debut this season for the Hartford Wolfpack before heading to the ECHL. The 20-year old will get a taste of an NHL arena at least as he backs up Raanta tonight.
  • Tom Sestito will have a phone hearing with the NHL today after his hit on Toby Enstrom last night. The check from behind sent Enstrom to the hospital with possible facial fractures, and led to more aggressive play between the two teams last night. Amazingly, Sestito was only on the ice for 62 seconds last night, and was involved in a fight and this illegal check before being thrown out of the game. The 29-year old enforcer had been called up earlier that day to lend some physicality to the Penguins line up not, as Jets’ head coach Paul Maurice put it, “to dangle”.

An Update On Craig Cunningham’s Condition

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A month after collapsing on the ice prior to a home game in Tuscon, there has finally been a status update on the health of Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham and a re-telling of the procedure that saved his life.

Cunningham, 26, suffered a heart attack on the night of November 19th, just minutes before puck drop for the Arizona Coyotes’ AHL affiliate. Cunningham collapsed onto the ice during warm-ups and began suffering convulsions. On-ice medics began chest compressions immediately before rushing Cunningham to the hospital. In this new press release, the details of that ordeal have been revealed. Cunningham was first brought to Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital, where chest compression CPR continued. Realizing that more desperate measures were needed, the staff at St. Mary’s decided that Cunningham needed to be transported to Banner – University Medical Center Tuscon, the only facility in the area that could perform the advanced ECMO treatment needed to save Cunningham’s life. ECMO, short for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, is a specialized process that circulates blood and adds oxygen, essentially working as an artificial lung needed to provide the heart with the vital oxygen it needs to heal. In the even that the heart cannot be re-started using traditional means, ECMO is a last-ditch life-saving effort. As the press release states, “(m)ost patients who need ECMO are almost certain to die” without it. Luckily for Cunningham, Banner dispatched a mobile team to St. Mary’s to begin the process as they transported him to their facility for further care.

Thanks to the life-saving efforts of the on-ice medics, St. Mary’s staff, and specially trained staff at Banner, Cunningham has returned from the brink of death and made a miraculous recovery. Cunningham was in critical condition for days following the incident, but a few weeks ago it was reported that he was awake and aware, spending time with family and friends. Now, against all odds, Cunningham is ready to leave the hospital. The timing could not be more perfect, as Cunningham expects to be back home for Christmas. It has been an amazing job by all involved, including Cunningham, who’s passion and hard-working attitude on the ice continued in the hospital room as he fought back and is now on his way to a remarkable recovery.

We here at Pro Hockey Rumors continue to send our support to Cunningham and his family and are happy to hear that a player who many describe as one of the true good guys of the game is on his way back to health.

Injury Notes: Couturier, Gaborik, Cunningham

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The Philadelphia Flyers’ nightmare season continues. Today, the team will recall Scott Laughton from Lehigh Valley to replace Sean Couturier, who will be out for 4-6 weeks with a left knee injury. According to Sam Carchidi, Couturier will be examined this afternoon in Philadelphia but has already been placed on injured reserve.  The 23-year old centerman had eight points in twenty games this season.

For Laughton, this won’t be the first time he’s set foot on NHL ice, but it will be the first this season. The 22-year old former first-rounder played 71 games for the Flyers last season, recording 21 points but was injured early in training camp and had been playing in the AHL since his return. Eight points in eight games at the lower level as he shook off the rust, and proved that he’s ready for an NHL return. As Carchidi reports, he’ll be available to dress tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, though there has been no indication whether or not he’ll get into the lineup right away.

  • Marian Gaborik is back with the Los Angeles Kings and aiming for Saturday to make his season debut, according to Kings beat reporter Elliott Teaford. The 34-year old sniper has been out since suffering an injury at the World Cup in Toronto in September, breaking his right foot in a game against Sweden. The Kings will hope that he’ll come back fresh and looking to show that last year wasn’t what to expect going forward. The former 40-goal man only scored 12 goals and 22 points last season, the lowest point total of his career. He also played in only 54 games, a mark he’ll hope to eclipse this season (the Kings have 62 games remaining).
  • Sarah McLellan of AZ Central is reporting that Craig Cunningham is still in stable but critical condition after suffering a heart attack on the ice Saturday night. Cunningham was playing for the Tucson Roadrunners when he collapsed on the ice and needed to be taken to a local hospital.
  • Tyler Myers has officially been moved to the injured reserve, retroactive to November 11th, reports Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. The defenseman suffered a lower-body injury just three days after he was last activated from the IR. The hulking blueliner has played in just 11 games this season, scoring five points.

Craig Cunningham In Hospital After Collapsing On Ice

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UPDATE 11/21 (1:30pm CT): Coyotes head coach Dave Tippet has issued an update on Cunningham’s condition on behalf of the team. Tippet says that Cunningham is stable, but remains in critical condition. The 26-year-old is believed to have suffered a heart attack and is still dealing with the related cardiac complications. Tippet added that the team will not comment any further, allowing Cunningham and his family their space.

It was a scary scene in Tucson on Saturday night.

Tuscon Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham suffered a “medical emergency” on the ice prior to Tucson’s game versus the Manitoba Moose. He is currently in hospital receiving treatment, according to Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka.

Mike Christy of the Arizona Daily Star reported that the 26-year-old Cunningham collapsed just moments before puck drop and appeared to convulse after hitting the ice. Medics cut away his jersey and did chest compressions before removing him from the ice and taking him to a local hospital. The players were sent back to their dressing rooms and the game was postponed to a later date.

Global BC’s Jay Janower tweeted that the Trail, BC-native Cunningham had a heart attack and is in critical condition, with his mom at his side. Janower added that Cunningham’s blood pressure has increased, which is a good sign. In the team’s statement, Chayka did not confirm any specifics, but promised to “provide a medical update once we receive more information.”

Cunningham is a very good AHL forward, with 203 points in 319 games. His 13 points in 11 games lead his team in scoring this season. Cunningham has eight points in 63 NHL games with Boston and Arizona over the past three seasons. He is also considered a good leader and teammate; he’s served as captain of the Providence Bruins and Springfield Falcons before Arizona moved the Falcons to Tucson this past summer.

John Buccigross of ESPN SportsCenter tweeted a link to a story he wrote on Cunningham’s incredible journey to the NHL back in 2014 when he first cracked the Bruins lineup. Get-well messages have come in from around North America, including Landon Ferraro, who grew up with Cunningham, and Milan Lucic, who called Cunningham “one of [his] best friends.”

Lucic was quoted in Buccigross’ article as saying Cunningham was “a great fit” on the Bruins, before comparing him, somewhat ominously, to Rich Peverley. Peverley was a solid two-way player, before he suffered a cardiac event on the bench during a March 2014 game, which forced him to retire.

We here at Pro Hockey Rumors wish Cunningham and his family all the best during this difficult time.

Minor Transactions: 6/16/16

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Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions.

  • Craig Cunningham, who would have been a Group VI free agent July 1st, has re-signed on a one year, two-way deal with Arizona, according to General Fanager.  Cunningham will earn $600,000 at the NHL level and $200,000 in the AHL while the pact contains a $250,000 guarantee.  He has 3 goals and 5 assists in 63 career NHL games between Boston and Arizona.
  • Rob Klinkhammer, a pending UFA with Edmonton, has signed a contract with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL, according to the team (link in Russian). Klinkhammer has 193 NHL games under his belt and suited up in 14 games with the Oilers last season, collecting a goal and 6 penalty minutes.
  • The Hurricanes announced the re-signing of Derek Ryan to a one year, two-way contract. The 29 year old center made his NHL debut in 2015-16, picking up 2 goals in 6 games.  He also was the leading scorer for Carolina’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte.  Ryan will earn $600,000 at the NHL and $300,000 at the AHL level with a total guarantee of $350,000.
  • The Bruins announced the signing of prospect forward Peter Cehlarik to a three year, entry-level contract. Cehlarik was Boston’s third round pick (90th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.  He will carry a cap hit before performance bonuses of $742,500 according to Cap Friendly.
  • Jared Cowen went unclaimed at today’s 11AM CST waiver deadline according to the Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle. The Maple Leafs are now free to proceed with buying out the final year of his contract.
  • Florida has re-signed forward Connor Brickley to a one year, two-way deal according to George Richards of the Miami Herald.  Brickley played in 23 games with the Panthers last year, scoring once while adding 4 assists.  They also inked G Sam Brittain to a one year, two-way pact, reports the Sun Sentinel’s Harvey Fialkov.
  • Anaheim has reportedly re-signed forward Joseph Cramarossa to a one year, two-way deal according to Cap Friendly. Cramarossa had 11 goals and 6 assists for the Ducks’ AHL affiliate in San Diego last season.

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