Ex-Vancouver Giants star Craig Cunningham helps NHLers get ready for season and promotes heart health
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.
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.”
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.”
