Coaching Career
Cunniff 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 coached the Hartford Whalers during the 1982–83 NHL season.
He then joined the Boston Bruins organization 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 his name was engraved on the Stanley cup with the Devils in 2000.
His involvement in 13 seasons with the Devils organization includes serving as head coach of the NHL club for two seasons (1989–90 and 1990–91). Prior to joining the Devils' organization, he was an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins for three seasons. In addition, he guided the Hartford Whalers for 13 games as head coach in 1982-83.
Cunniff's extensive experience with USA Hockey includes serving as associate coach during the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway, assistant coach for the 1998 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team in Nagano, Japan, and assistant coach for the 2002 U.S. Olympic Men's Hockey Team in Salt Lake City, Utah. Cunniff was named assistant coach for the United States team that captured the championship in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. He was an assistant coach for four U.S. National Teams (1982, 1991, 1992 and 1993) at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Men's World Championships, and was an assistant on two U.S. National Junior Teams (1992 and 1993) at the IIHF World Junior Championships. In addition, Cunniff was an assistant coach for Team USA in the 1981 Canada Cup tournament.
Cunniff served as head coach of the Albany River Rats—the top minor-league affiliate of the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils—for five seasons (1996–2001). He finished in 2000-01 as the AHL's longest tenured head coach at the time. After posting a record of 187-169-39 as head coach with Albany, Cunniff transitioned to New Jersey's scouting staff in 2001.
Cunniff was inducted into the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997; was named the 1998 Walter Yaciuk Award Winner for his outstanding contribution to USA Hockey's coaching education program and in 2002; was posthumously honored with the USA Hockey Distinguished Achievement Award.
A superb strategist, innovative trainer, and excellent coach, he was among the first U.S. hockey coaches to incorporate international (Russian/European) training and open play-making to successfully coach and mentor some of the best NHL players. He was well known for his voracious reading of military strategy, leadership, and motivational training.
He died of cancer and is buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
He was inducted to the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. http://www.masshockey.com/Hall/Cunniff/
He was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978, and his number was retired to the rafters of Conte Forum at BC. http://bceagles.cstv.com/genrel/cunniff_john00.html
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