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Cunningham, who had a sudden cardiac arrest on the ice in an AHL game in 2016 and wound up having part of his leg amputated, is hosting a pro camp at Planet Ice Delta this week
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Published Aug 18, 2024 • 4 minute read
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Former Vancouver Giants star Craig Cunningham at Planet Ice Delta on Aug. 17, 2021. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG
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Craig Cunningham is once again offering up players a chance to better prepare for their NHL seasons while trying to raise awareness and funds to combat sudden cardiac arrest at the same time.
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The former Vancouver Giants stalwart forward from Trail is back heading up the Craig Cunningham All Heart Foundation pro camp at Planet Ice Delta. It starts Monday and runs four days. Among the players who have signed up are Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher, Dallas Stars winger Logan Stankoven, Buffalo Sabres winger Beck Malenstyn, Los Angeles Kings defenceman Kyle Burroughs and Vancouver Canucks forward prospect Tristen Nielsen.
Players are slated to hit the ice each day at 11:45 a.m. and it’s open to the public. The camp is run in conjunction with the Delta Hockey Academy and Cunningham has been at it in some function since 2018.
The event increases All Heart’s profile and that in turn gives Cunningham, 33, another platform to “educate and advocate.”
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Cunningham was 26 years old and six years into his pro career when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on the ice before an American Hockey League game with his Tucson Roadrunners on Nov. 19, 2016. Complications afterward led to the lower part of his left leg being amputated.
Cunningham is now a pro scout with the Vegas Golden Knights.
“More than anything, we’re encouraging people to take their health into own hands,” Cunningham explained of All Heart. “We’re encouraging them to see their doctor, to get necessary cardiac testing done.
“We’re encouraging people, too, to learn what to do when someone has a sudden cardiac arrest around them — to learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), how to use an AED (automated external defibrillator), who you need to call and how to ask for help. We’re encouraging people to learn the general life-saving techniques that anyone can use no matter where you are.”
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#TBT 🏒 The All Heart Camp has been going strong since 2018, & this summer’s camp is currently in full swing! HUGE thank you to @DeltaWildHockey @DeltaHealthPer1 for organizing these camps & for donating a portion of the proceeds to the All Heart Foundation. See ya next week 👋🏻👀 pic.twitter.com/6IcsTSrzIs
— Craig Cunningham All Heart Foundation (@cc_allheart) August 15, 2024
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All Heart raises money as well, and Cunningham says it donated $70,000 to the Honor Health Foundation. Dr. Zain Khalpey is an Arizona-based cardiothoracic surgeon that Cunningham credits with saving his life. He’s part of Honor Health and Cunningham says the money went toward an “artificial intelligence lab” that’s being designed to better predict sudden cardiac arrest episodes before they happen.
Cunningham and wife Kara just celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary and he credits her with a renewed push with All Heart.
“She’s very passionate about this. She wants to get this really rolling,” Cunningham said. “We’re trying to get it out there again. We’ve remade our website, we’re trying other things.”
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Cunningham is one of the most celebrated Giants players ever. He was added to the Giants’ wall of honour in 2018, he remains near the top of several of the team’s all-time stats categories. He’s second in career regular season games played (295), trailing only defenceman Neil Manning (310). He’s third in points (222), behind Gallagher (280) and Adam Courchaine (273).
Former Vancouver Giants star Craig Cunningham at Planet Ice Delta on Aug. 17, 2021. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG
He got into 63 NHL regular season games and 319 in the AHL. Canucks forward Conor Garland was in his first pro season in Tucson in Cunnigham’s final year and in 2021 Garland told Postmedia that Cunningham helped teach him about “being a good person, being a good teammate, being a good leader. I’ve learned so much from him and it’s not all been on the ice.”
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Cunningham scouted with the Coyotes before moving over to the Golden Knights. He brought the Stanley Cup to Trail in October 2023.
“I love being a part of the game,” said Cunningham, who’s scouting NHL and minor pro action for Vegas. “I feel like I’m starting my career all over again, working toward moving up the chain. And I love the group we have.
“I love watching players and trying to figure it out. It’s not a perfect science. Development curves are so different. And there’s such a difference between a guy who makes it and guy who has a career. There’s such a difference between a guy who is good enough to play 100 games and one who’s good enough to play 1,000.
“You’re at the rink, trying to find a guy stuck in maybe a bad situation who can do something more with a different opportunity. You’re looking for that guy that no one else thinks can do it and winds up being able to do it.”
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The All Heart camp will be followed by one headed up by Edmonton Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher.
Stecher, in conjunction with the Vancouver Hockey School, is running a pro skate Aug. 26-29 at Richmond’s Minoru Arena.
It, too, is open to the public. Former Canucks rearguard turned TV analyst Kevin Bieksa is slated to take part and has been promoting the camp on his social media platforms.
Gallagher and Cunningham were Giants teammates. Nielsen is another team alum. Also slated to attend this week in Delta are former Giants forwards Justin Sourdif (Florida Panthers prospect) and Lukas Svejkovsky (Tampa Bay Lightning prospect), and defenceman Alex Kannok Leipert (AHL Bakersfield Condors), as well as current Giants defenceman Colton Roberts.
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SEwen@postmedia.com
@SteveEwen
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/craig-cunningham-helps-nhlers-get-ready-for-season-and-promotes-heart-health