John Cunniff
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John Cunniff (b. South Boston, Massachusetts 9 July 1944, d. 10 May 2002) was an American NHL hockey coach and former professional player who appeared in 65 World Hockey Association regular season games between 1972 and 1976. Cunniff was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.
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[edit] Amateur career
Cunniff was born in Massachusetts and attended Boston College, where he was a two-time All-American left wing, and was the 1964 Rookie of the Year, and was the first hockey player ever to be named the Beanpot MVP twice ('64 & '65). He was a dominant scorer, his 71 goals and 82 assists in just 75 games established a Boston College career point record. His 67 points in 1966–67 was best in the nation, and helped the Eagles reach the NCAA Championship finals.
Twice he won All-America honors and was a three-time All-East selection. He was named to the All-Time Boston Garden Beanpot Tournament Team.
He joined the United State's National team in 1967 for the Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Vienna and also played for the U.S. at the Olympics in 1968 in Grenoble.
[edit] Professional career
Cunniff enjoyed a moderately successful professional playing career with the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins organisations but he never made it to the NHL. He did get some major league playing experience as a member of the New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association in 1972–74 before drifting back to the minors. He returned to the United States national team for the 1975 hockey world championship tournament and played two games for the Quebec Nordiques in 1975–76.
[edit] Coaching career
Cunniff occasionally served as a player/coach in the North American Hockey League and New England Hockey League before joining the Hartford Whalers as an assistant coach in 1981 after his playing career had ended in 1979. He was named head coach of the Binghamton Whalers the following season and briefly coached the Hartford Whalers on an interim basis during the 1982–83 NHL season.
He then joined the Boston Bruins organisation as assistant coach of the Bruins with Terry O'Reilly in the 1987–88 Stanley Cup appearance. He was head coach of the New Jersey Devils from 1989 to 1991, coached the Albany River Rats, and received two Stanley Cup rings with the Devils organization.
Cunniff also coached the U.S. team to victory in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and coached the US Men's Olympic Hockey Teams at Lillehammer, Norway ('94); Nagano, Japan ('98), and Salt Lake City, Utah (silver medal) (2002).
He died of throat cancer and is buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
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| Preceded by Jim Schoenfeld |
Head Coaches of the New Jersey Devils 1989–1991 |
Succeeded by Tom McVie |
| Preceded by Larry Pleau |
Head Coach of the Hartford Whalers 1982–1983 |
Succeeded by Jack "Tex" Evans |
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