The Tucson Roadrunners gathered at Tucson Arena on Monday morning for something familiar: Practice.
For about 45 minutes, a heartbroken team skated and shot. It was, well, normal.
โYou have to have structure in your life and you have to have reset buttons, and today was a start of a reset for our guys to get their minds on something other than their teammate,โ general manager Doug Soetaert said. โThis is a good thing.โ
Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham remained hospitalized and critically ill at Banner-University Medical Center, two days after collapsing before a scheduled home game against Manitoba.
The 26-year-old Cunningham, a right winger, has been one of the Roadrunnersโ best players. He scored the first two goals in franchise history last month, and is tied for the team points lead with 13.
The Roadrunners and their parent club, the Arizona Coyotes, have not said what caused Cunningham to collapse and convulse before Saturdayโs 7:05 p.m. game. Medics from the Roadrunners and Moose cut away Cunninghamโs jersey and performed chest compressions before putting him on a stretcher and into an ambulance.
On Monday, officials from the Roadrunners and Coyotes praised the medicsโ quick reaction. The Coyotes said Cunningham is in critical but stable condition.
โThe care heโs receiving now is unbelievable,โ Coyotes general manager John Chayka told reporters in Glendale.
Soetaert said Cunningham is in โgreat, great handsโ at UMC, but acknowledged much is still unknown.
โWe donโt know what happened. The doctors are trying to find that out,โ he said. โHopefully, weโll be able to figure out what actually transpired and what theyโre dealing with. โฆ Itโs a changing target every day.โ
Cunningham is surrounded by family. His mother, Heather, flew to Tucson from British Columbia last week and was in the stands Saturday night, according to a report from TSN Canada. TSN reported that Heather McKenzie and her two other sons, Ryan and Mitchel, are now keeping vigil at the hospital.
The Roadrunners have offered counseling to Cunninghamโs teammates. The team has postponed Tuesday and Wednesdayโs scheduled home games against the San Diego Gulls, with makeup dates to be announced later.
The Roadrunners are expected to play Saturday and Sundayโs home games against Stockton as scheduled. The team is encouraging fans to tweet their support using the hashtag #CunnyCan.
Soetaert said practices, even brief ones, are โbaby steps to get our team back and ready to play.โ
There were some signs of normalcy on Monday. The workout concluded with an informal intrasquad game; the winning team celebrated with a hug pile at center ice.
โThe players feel good being at the rink,โ Soetaert said. โThey feel good being with their teammates, and they like being on the ice.โ
