'Burgh's Best to Wear It, No. 14: Chris Kunitz's persistence paid off for Penguins

The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number.

No. 14: Chris Kunitz

Chris Kunitz nearly quit professional hockey before his career even began.

After bouncing through waivers between the Anaheim Ducks and the Atlanta Thrashers then back to the Ducks during the 2005-06 season, Kunitz, who was not drafted, considered utilizing the business degree he had earned from Ferris State.

“Took a long drive out to Portland, Maine (site of Anaheim’s former AHL affiliate) with one of my college buddies who had some time off work and just talked,” Kunitz said. “Maybe there’s something else to this (college) degree that I have. I might be using it soon.”

As it turned out, Kunitz didn’t need to get a 9-to-5 gig for the next 13 years as he carved out a strong NHL career, primarily with the Penguins.

After establishing himself with the Ducks and helping that franchise win its only Stanley Cup title in 2007, Kunitz was traded to the Penguins in the winter of 2009. Finding a place on the left wing of franchise center Sidney Crosby, Kunitz’s blend of fierce forechecking and a tenacious net-front game made him a staple in the Penguins’ lineup for parts of nine seasons.

A member of the Penguins’ three-most recent Stanley Cup titles in 2009, ’16 and ’17, Kunitz largely operated on Crosby’s line during his tenure with the Penguins, reaching the 20-goal mark four times. His signature campaign of 2013-14 saw him set career highs of 35 goals and 68 points while also earning a spot on the Canadian Olympic team that won a gold medal that season.

A longtime alternate captain for the franchise, Kunitz’s keynote moment as a member of the Penguins came in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final. Off a feed from — who else — Crosby, Kunitz smacked a one-timer in the second overtime period to give the Penguins a 3-2 home win against the Ottawa Senators and send the Penguins to another Stanley Cup Final.

Other No. 14s of note:

• He largely exists as a pariah in Pittsburgh after he threw three interceptions in Super Bowl XXX then bolted to the New York Jets for a lucrative contract. But at one time, Neil O’Donnell was considered the second-best quarterback in Steelers history given that he led the Steelers to their first championship game since the glory days of the 1970s. Regardless of how things ended, O’Donnell was instrumental to a successful era for the Steelers in the mid-1990s and was selected to a Pro Bowl in 1992.

• A high school standout in Buffalo, guard Curtis Aiken was Pitt’s first McDonald’s All-American recruit, joining the Panthers in 1983. In four seasons, Aiken scored 1,200 points, 27th-most in program history, and led Pitt to the Big East’s regular-season title in 1987 with a 25-8 record.

• Shortstop Gene Alley spent 11 seasons with the Pirates throughout the 1960s and ’70s. A two-time All-Star, Alley was part of one of the greatest double-play tandems in MLB history with second baseman Bill Mazeroski, winning two Gold Glove awards. A member of three National League East championship teams, Alley helped the Pirates claim the World Series in 1971.

Check out the entire ’Burgh’s Best to Wear It series here.