Kunitz: Undrafted, undeterred

Carved key niche with Penguins, in comminity, too

There was no Chris Kunitz draft party. No nervous moments waiting by the TV. No memorable phone call from an NHL general manager or celebratory tears. In fact, it was only recently that Kunitz did the math to figure out when he was eligible to be drafted.

“I wasn’t anywhere on a radar,” Kunitz said Wednesday during a conference call with the media. “I was playing Tier 2 junior in Saskatchewan, probably having a job in the summer working.”

Instead, Kunitz arrived in the NHL as an unheralded and undrafted free agent out of Ferris State. He went on to achieve things few in his profession ever do. He played 15 seasons in the NHL, including nine with the Penguins, winning four Stanley Cups and an Olympic gold medal.

This week, when Kunitz announced his retirement, his playing career officially came to an end. It is important, however, to remember how it began. Those humble beginnings set the tone for the type of player Kunitz would become on the ice and the kind of teammate he would be in the locker room.

“For me and my situation, it helped me look at every day as going out there and trying to work and create a job for yourself,” Kunitz said. “Every single day, just trying to earn this jersey to put on.”

Kunitz did exactly that — and more.

He grinded his way through college to become a Hobey Baker Award finalist, worked his way through the minors, and then kept his head down in the NHL. Kunitz wasn’t afraid to go in

‘‘ Every single day, just trying to earn this jersey to put on.” Chris Kunitz

on the forecheck, win puck battles and then jockey for position in front of the net.

Maybe it’s no coincidence that a player with that attitude enjoyed some of his best years in Pittsburgh, endearing himself to a city that prides itself on many of the same ideals that made Kunitz successful.

“Even when he wasn’t scoring goals, he was making a difference on our team,” Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said Tuesday. “He played with such determination. You always knew you had a chance of something happening when he was on the ice because of his determination.”

Kunitz’s fingerprints were all over each of the three Cups he won with Penguins.

When he was traded to the Penguins in the middle of the 2008- 09 season, he was part of the shakeup that lit the fire for the 2009 run.

In 2016, he was a veteran leader for a team filled with new, young call- ups.

And in 2017, he scored one of the most significant goals in Penguins playoff history, burying the double- overtime winner in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final against Ottawa to send the Penguins back to the Stanley Cup final.

“It was such a big game for us,” Rutherford said. “We don’t get that game, we don’t get the Cup.”

Some of Kunitz’s brightest moments came while playing alongside Sidney Crosby. The winger’s playing style and his ability to think the game at a higher level made a perfect match for Crosby’s up- tempo, skilloriented style. Together, they built a unique combination on the ice and a friendship off it.

“Being on the team together for so long and the comfort level, that is something that doesn’t happen in professional sports very much,” Kunitz said. “Guys don’t get to spend that many years together because of salary- cap reasons or guys getting moved and traded.”

When Kunitz left the Penguins after the 2017 Stanley Cup run, he and his wife did a lot of reflecting on their years in Pittsburgh. Sure, he had accumulated impressive stats, ranking ninth in goals ( 169) and 14th in points ( 388) in Penguins franchise history.

But there was a connection that went beyond the arena.

Kunitz said he wasn’t just part of the Penguins organization, but also part of Pittsburgh.

“When you’re in a place for so long, you build up those friendships with neighbors and people from the area or your kids’ activities,” Kunitz said. “We obviously loved the city and the people. Even though it wasn’t home for either of us, it felt like home for a long time.”

Kunitz’s new role as player development adviser for the Chicago Blackhawks will give his family a chance to plant roots in the same area where his wife grew up. The position, which was created specially for Kunitz, will provide him with a nice balance. He can spend more time at home with his three children and wife when the Blackhawks are on the road, while also scratching his hockey itch by helping to shape a new generation of players.

Asked what he’ll miss most about playing, Kunitz didn’t think long.

“Competing,” Kunitz said. “You go out there and you battle. You get in a little scrum in front of the net or whatever it is during some random game in December.”

Kunitz could have mentioned the Cups. Or he could have said the stars, like Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Or the thrill of life on the road.

But no. The thing Kunitz will miss most? Some random game in December, fighting in front of the net in the middle of the grind of the season.

“It’s those little moments that you’re on the bench or you’re on the ice and you rally around each other and have that fire growing inside you to be at your best,” Kunitz said. “I don’t think that’s something that you can ever get back.”

Kunitz won’t get those moments back. But he certainly earned every one he ever achieved.