Kunitz’s road circles home Long road to Chicago
Move to Chicago brings extended family together
The large family gathering on the night of the Blackhawks’ home opener was just clearing out when 9-year-old Zach Kunitz had a thought.
“Is that what it’s like?” he asked his mom, Maureen, who didn’t quite know what he meant at first.
Zach clarified: “Is that what it’s like to live by family?”
That was one moment Chris and Maureen Kunitz knew coming home to Chicago was the right thing to do.
‘A vacation home’
Long before Zach, 7-year-old Payton and 4-year-old Aubrey had entered their lives, Chris Kunitz and Maureen Pfeiffer were college sweethearts at Ferris State University in central Michigan.
After graduation, Chris, who grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, began trying to carve out a career in the NHL. Maureen, a Schaumburg native, moved to Chicago to take a job, and during the summer of 2006, Chris followed. They married in 2008 at a Bucktown church and had their reception at the Field Museum.
The NHL isn’t as carefree when it comes to choosing where to live, and the couple moved to Southern California, where Chris played the first 4½ seasons of his career with the Ducks, save for a two-game stint with the Thrashers.
“I don’t count Atlanta,” Chris joked.
The next stop was Pittsburgh, which he absolutely counts. Kunitz, who won a Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007, won three more with the Penguins in his eight-plus seasons with them. He and Maureen got used to a life of spending the season in Pittsburgh and much of their summer in a condo they owned in Lincoln Park.
Their connection to Chicago was so strong that they twice brought the Stanley Cup here when it was Chris’ turn to spend his day with it.
“It’s an unbelievable summer city,” Chris said. “It’s walkable and (great) being outside. We used to live by the zoo, and with the strollers it was easy to go, and that’s how we spent most of our summers. It was kind of like a vacation home.”
With Chris, who turned 39 last month, in the late stage of his career and the condo requiring more upkeep than they wanted to deal with, they decided to sell. Chicago no longer would be their summer home.
But fate had other plans for the Kunitz family.
Free-agency day in the NHL is a whirlwind for teams, players, fans, reporters — anyone trying to follow the mass signings. In 2017, Chris became a free agent, and he and Maureen made a list of 10 desirable teams. The Hawks were on it. But Chris ended up with the Lightning on a one-year deal, and they made Tampa, Fla., their home.
The same sequence of events rolled around last summer, but this time they had reduced their wish list to five teams. Again, the Hawks were on it. This time, it worked out.
“July 1 is kind of a stressful day because that’s free agency and that’s when you know where you’re going to sign,” Maureen said. “We have good friends who would take (the kids) to get them out of the house. And then once we knew, we were like, ‘OK, send them back!’ ”
Chris and Maureen created clues to help the kids guess which city the family was headed to next, and as the children realized it was Chicago, they could hardly believe it.
“They were like: ‘Seriously? Seriously! Yeah!’ ” Maureen said.
That was another moment.
‘This feels very us’
Large doesn’t begin to describe Maureen Kunitz’s extended family. She has 40 first cousins, all of whom have kids. Being back in Chicago is wonderful for her, but for the kids it’s creating memories they seemed destined to go through childhood without experiencing.
“My kids never have lived by their cousins,” she said. “They never have had grandparents who could watch them play soccer or could come to their hockey games or just see them on a weekend schedule. It’s just nice to have that.”
The family is renting a home in Roscoe Village from former Hawks player Sheldon Brookbank and settling into a life that’s remarkably like any other.
After the frenzy of finding schools and doctors came the search for hockey and soccer teams and gymnastics programs — which of course was followed by endless driving to hockey games, soccer practices and gymnastics meets.
In their neighborhood, Halloween decorations already are lacing trees and family homes. One of their favorite places, the Shedd Aquarium, is a short drive away, great Chicago restaurants are everywhere and if they want to go see a Bears game at Soldier Field, it’s an easy family outing.
“The time looking at the suburbs didn’t go very far because we wanted to take in the whole experience and have the kids be part of it,” Chris said. “Probably not many years left or months left in the career, so you want to make sure we all have fun.”
Added Maureen: “This feels very us.”
Precious moments
The familiar feel of the hockey season — his 15th as an NHL forward approaching 1,000 games — is taking hold now, and for many parts of day-to-day life, it doesn’t matter much if Chris is playing for the Ducks, Penguins, Lightning or Hawks.
There will be one important difference, however.
“These holidays and around Christmas time will be a lot of fun to see them with their cousins and maybe some people they haven’t met yet,” Chris said.
Moments, to be sure, they will remember.
“Around Christmas time will be a lot of fun to see them with their cousins.” — Chris Kunitz on his three children