He served as a captain in nine of his 12 seasons in the AHL, wearing the “C” for Springfield (2005-06), Norfolk (2009-10), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (2010-12), Springfield again (2012-15) and Lake Erie/Cleveland (2005-17).
“He just had a great presence,” said Hynes, whose first two seasons as an AHL head coach were Craig’s two with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. “He was a very thoughtful young man. He led in two ways.
“First, as a player, he led with his play. He was very smart, competed every night and practiced really well. It allowed him to build that foundation.
“Secondly, he was great with the young players. He was respected in the room and respected by the coaching staff. He could really step in as a captain, communicate with the coaches and understand when the group needs to step up and when not.
“When you need to push a team or a group, he understands why and he’ll be the first guy to work the hardest in practice, turn things around in the game or do whatever needs to be done.
“His responsiveness, ability to lead the team and respect in the room allowed him to communicate effectively with the coaches. It was unique, to be honest with you.”
* * * * *
Craig reached a pivotal point in 2010-11. After eight years in the Tampa Bay organization, he was moving on to the Pittsburgh organization. He was 28 and thinking ahead.
“I loved the game and wanted to stay in it,” Craig said. “For me, the closest I could get to staying in the game was coaching. You’re in a struggle every day, the wins, the losses, the preparation that goes with it. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and wanted to stay in.”
Serving as a captain puts him in a good position to lead and learn.
“At that level, you’re familiar with certain things,” Craig said. “You are the intermediary between the coach, the players and the young lads and ‘Hynsie’ did a lot with me to get me moving. I started keeping a journal.”
Hynes was initially unaware that Craig was keeping a diary. He found out at the end of their second season together.
“We didn’t necessarily talk about coaching, but he was curious,” Hynes said. “He would ask. “What is the philosophy behind this?” or “Why are we doing this?” He was very in tune as a player. Whether he was on the bench, thinking about faceoffs, ice times, the flow of the game, or what the coaches or management team had to say during the game or between periods, he was called upon.”
Craig continued to post as his playing career progressed.
During that time, teammates learned from him.
Matt Calvert grew up watching Craig play as a junior. He himself went on to play for the Wheat Kings from 2007-10 and skated with Craig in Brandon in the offseason and played with Craig in Springfield in 2012-13 when he was 23 and Craig was 31.
Craig would go down and comment on coach Brad Larsen’s fiery message to the young players.
“We always called him the ‘room coach,'” Calvert said. “He was a coach disguised as a player.”
Calvert would play 11 seasons in the NHL, with the Blue Jackets from 2010-18 and the Avalanche from 2018-21. He is currently a player development coach with the Nashville Predators. She lives with Craig in Lake Manitoba in the summer and they remain friends.
“I could be 27 years old in the NHL, consider myself maybe a leader, but every time I talk to Craiger, I almost feel like a kid again because he always has that right answer,” Calvert said. “Not lonely, he’s so calm and steady.
“Now I train myself, and when I tend to get a little fiery, I try to draw what Ryan Craig does.”
Bednar coached Craig for four seasons. He was an assistant at Springfield in 2012-14, head coach at Springfield in 2014-15, and head coach at Lake Erie in 2015-16.
