Craig Adams (ice hockey)

Craig D. Adams (born April 26, 1977) is a Bruneian-born Canadian former professional ice hockey player, who most recently played with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. Adams was born in Seria, Brunei, but was raised in Calgary, Alberta, residing and playing hockey in the community of Lake Bonavista. Adams won the Stanley Cup with both the Carolina Hurricanes (in 2006) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (in 2009).[2]

Craig Adams
Adams in 2013
Born (1977-04-26) April 26, 1977 (age 47)
Seria, Brunei
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL draft 223rd overall, 1996
Hartford Whalers[1]
Playing career 1999–2015

Playing career

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Adams was selected in the 9th round, 223rd overall, in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Hartford Whalers where he gained the distinction of being their last draft pick. Adams was drafted after his freshman season at Harvard University. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on December 27, 1997 in a game against the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Adams made his NHL debut in the 2000–01 season with the Hurricanes, who had relocated from Hartford, and had been a regular in the NHL since the 2002–03 season.

In the 2004-05 he signed for the Italian team Milano Vipers during the NHL lock-out. There he won the Italian League.

On August 25, 2005 he signed a contract with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, but was traded back to the Hurricanes on October 3, a few days before the 2005–06 NHL season began. Adams was a member of the Hurricanes 2006 Stanley Cup-winning team, becoming the first Bruneian-born player to have his name engraved on the trophy.

 
Adams with the Penguins in 2011.

On January 17, 2008 Adams was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for a conditional pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.[3]

During the 2008-09 season, Adams was claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins off waivers from the Blackhawks on March 4, 2009.[4] Adams found a role on the fourth line and would go on to win his second Stanley Cup championship. On June 29, 2009, Adams was re-signed by the Penguins to a two-year contract.[5]

On June 9, 2011, Adams was re-signed by the Penguins to another two-year contract.[6]

On July 5, 2013, Adams was re-signed again to a two-year contract.[7] At the beginning of the 2013–14 season, on October 3, 2013, Adams scored the 50th goal of his career against Cory Schneider of the New Jersey Devils.

On April 29, 2015, after seven seasons within the organization, Adams was informed by the Pittsburgh Penguins that he would not be re-signed to another contract.[8] On January 26, 2016, after a 14-year career, Adams announced his retirement.[9]

Personal

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Adams was the first NHL player to be born in Brunei. He was born in the country, as his father was an employee of Shell Oil at the time of his birth. The family settled in Calgary, Alberta shortly afterwards.[10] He attended Strathcona Tweedsmuir School for high school.[citation needed]

Adams is married since 2003 to his wife Anne Cellucci, a daughter of the late Paul Cellucci, former Governor of Massachusetts and US Ambassador to Canada.[11] They have three children.[9]

Adams now works as a financial advisor for hockey players at Merrill Lynch in Boston. He has pledged his brain to research on the effects of CTE.[12]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1993–94 Calgary Buffaloes AAA AMHL
1994–95 Calgary Canucks AJHL 40 14 24 38 82
1995–96 Harvard University ECAC 34 8 9 17 56
1996–97 Harvard University ECAC 32 6 4 10 36
1997–98 Harvard University ECAC 12 6 6 12 12
1998–99 Harvard University ECAC 31 9 14 23 53
1999–00 Cincinnati Cyclones IHL 73 12 12 24 124 8 0 1 1 14
2000–01 Cincinnati Cyclones IHL 4 0 1 1 9 1 0 0 0 2
2000–01 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 44 1 0 1 20 3 0 0 0 0
2001–02 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 22 5 4 9 51
2001–02 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 33 0 1 1 38 1 0 0 0 0
2002–03 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 81 6 12 18 71
2003–04 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 80 7 10 17 69
2004–05 Milano Vipers ITA 30 15 14 29 57 15 4 7 11 26
2005–06 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 13 4 3 7 20
2005–06 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 67 10 11 21 51 25 0 0 0 10
2006–07 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 82 7 7 14 54
2007–08 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 40 2 3 5 34
2007–08 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 35 2 4 6 24
2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 36 2 4 6 22
2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 9 0 1 1 0 24 3 2 5 16
2009–10 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 82 0 10 10 72 13 2 1 3 15
2010–11 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 4 11 15 76 7 1 0 1 2
2011–12 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 82 5 13 18 34 5 0 0 0 19
2012–13 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 48 3 6 9 28 15 0 1 1 10
2013–14 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 82 5 6 11 46 13 1 1 2 2
2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 70 1 6 7 44
NHL totals 951 55 105 160 683 106 7 5 12 74
AHL totals 35 9 7 16 71

Awards and honours

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Award Year
College
All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team 1995–96
NHL
Stanley Cup champion 2005–06, 2008–09

Transactions

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References

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  1. ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". National Hockey League.
  2. ^ Fleury, Theo; Kirstie McLellan Day (2009). Playing With Fire. HarperCollins. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-55468-239-3.
  3. ^ "Adams traded to the Chicago Blackhawks". TSN.ca. 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2008-11-22. [dead link]
  4. ^ "Pens claim Craig Adams off waivers from Chicago". penguins.nhl.com. 2009-03-04. Archived from the original on 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  5. ^ "Penguins sign Craig Adams to two-year contract". penguins.nhl.com. 2009-06-29. Archived from the original on 2009-07-01. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
  6. ^ "Pens Re-Sign Forward Craig Adams". penguins.nhl.com. 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  7. ^ "Penguins Re-Sign Forward Craig Adams". penguins.nhl.com. 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  8. ^ "Pens tell long-serving Adams he won't be back next year". NBC Sports. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  9. ^ a b c "Adams Retires with 2 Stanley Cups and Endless Memories". The Official Site of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  10. ^ "NHLers with bizarre birthplaces". thehockeynews.com. 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
  11. ^ "It's a Great Day for Hockey - May 6". penguins.nhl.com. 2009-05-06. Archived from the original on 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  12. ^ Westhead, Rick (16 November 2017). "Former NHLer Craig Adams pledges brain to science". www.tsn.ca. TSN. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
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