Craig Simpson
Craig Simpson was born in London, Ontario, Canada on February 15th, 1967 and is the Hockey Player. At the age of 57, Craig Simpson biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 57 years old, Craig Simpson has this physical status:
Craig Andrew Simpson (born February 15, 1967) is a retired professional ice hockey winger who spent ten seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, and the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League.
He is currently a broadcaster and is active in the Canadian telecasting of Hockey Night.
Personal life
Simpson is the son of Canadian Olympic athlete Marion Simpson. He is also the younger brother of Rogers Sportsnet reporter Christine Simpson's younger brother.
Simpson married Canadian figure skater Jamie Salé, who had "known for years from the Edmonton skating scene" on June 21, 2012. They were paired as allies in late 2009 for the first season of the CBC show Battle of the Blades, which they won. Samantha Rae Simpson, Simpson and Salé's one daughter, was born on July 7, 2013. Simpson, a stepfather to Salé's son Jesse Pelletier (born September 30, 2007), from her first marriage to skating partner David Pelletier, has been through this relationship. In addition, he has three children from his previous marriage, including son Dillon, who was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the 4th round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and is now a defenseman for the Cleveland Monsters.
Simpson and Salé had separated in June 2021, according to him in February 2022.
Playing career
As a youth, Simpson played in the 1979 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Oakridge Acres.
Simpson played collegiate hockey for the Michigan State Spartans of the NCAA from 1983–84 to 1984–85. Simpson skipped the third grade, then took his grade 11 and 12 course load simultaneously allowing him to start college at age 16. became the first 16-year old to play Varsity hockey in the United States and actually led the team in scoring as a freshman. Then in his second year, his draft eligible season, he exploded for 31-goals and 84 points in just 42-games. This performance made him the number one ranked prospect heading into the 1985 NHL Entry Draft according to Central Scouting.
The Toronto Maple Leafs held the first overall draft pick in the draft, but their pre-draft meeting with Simpson and his family did not go well. The Globe and Mail quoted Simpson discussing the meeting: "I had a lot of negative feelings about that first meeting and people told me a lot of negative things about Toronto so it was tough going." Ultimately the Leafs passed on Simpson and selected Wendel Clark with the first overall selection leaving Simpson available for the Penguins at number two.
Broadcasting career
After retiring as a player, Simpson joined Fox television as a colour commentator. In 1998, Simpson joined CTV Sportsnet as a colour commentator for Edmonton Oilers regional games, as well as the network's weekly national broadcasts. He left in 2003 to become an assistant coach with the Oilers. After the 2006–07 season, he resigned from his position with the club to take a job as a colour commentator for CBC Television, alongside former Sportsnet partner Jim Hughson. Beginning in the 2008–09 season, the duo are the lead Hockey Night in Canada broadcast team and call the Stanley Cup Finals. When Rogers Media gained the NHL rights in 2014, the pair shifted to the company, with the pair re-joining Sportsnet, until Hughson retired from hockey broadcasting. Simpson is currently partnered with Chris Cuthbert, whom they called the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, starting with the 2021–22 NHL season.
Simpson is also the former colour commentator for the EA Sports NHL franchise, along with play-by-play partner Hughson. He also appears in TV commercials and print ads for Carpet Superstores of Edmonton.
On March 22, 2008, Hughson and Simpson called the NHL game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche at 1 p.m. MDT. They then boarded a chartered plane to Calgary where the pair then announced the third game of the Hockey Night in Canada triple-header between the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild at 8 p.m. MDT. This is believed to be a first in the National Hockey League.
Coaching career
Simpson joined his former team, the Edmonton Oilers, in 2005 and served as an assistant coach of the team. He helped lead the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2005–06 season.