Adams was selected in the 9th round, 223rd overall, in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Hartford Whalers where he gained the distinction of being their last draft pick. Adams was drafted after his freshman season at Harvard University. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on December 27, 1997 in a game against the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Adams made his NHL debut in the 2000–01 season with the Hurricanes, who had relocated from Hartford, and had been a regular in the NHL since the 2002–03 season.
In the 2004-05 he signed for the Italian team Milano Vipers during the NHL lock-out. There he won the Italian League.
On August 25, 2005 he signed a contract with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, but was traded back to the Hurricanes on October 3, a few days before the 2005–06 NHL season began. Adams was a member of the Hurricanes 2006 Stanley Cup-winning team, becoming the first Bruneian-born player to have his name engraved on the trophy.
During the 2008-09 season, Adams was claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins off waivers from the Blackhawks on March 4, 2009.[4] Adams found a role on the fourth line and would go on to win his second Stanley Cup championship. On June 29, 2009, Adams was re-signed by the Penguins to a two-year contract.[5]
On June 9, 2011, Adams was re-signed by the Penguins to another two-year contract.[6]
On July 5, 2013, Adams was re-signed again to a two-year contract.[7] At the beginning of the 2013–14 season, on October 3, 2013, Adams scored the 50th goal of his career against Cory Schneider of the New Jersey Devils.
On April 29, 2015, after seven seasons within the organization, Adams was informed by the Pittsburgh Penguins that he would not be re-signed to another contract.[8] On January 26, 2016, after a 14-year career, Adams announced his retirement.[9]
^"Pens tell long-serving Adams he won't be back next year". NBC Sports. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
^ a b c"Adams Retires with 2 Stanley Cups and Endless Memories". The Official Site of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
^"NHLers with bizarre birthplaces". thehockeynews.com. 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
^"It's a Great Day for Hockey - May 6". penguins.nhl.com. 2009-05-06. Archived from the original on 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
^Westhead, Rick (16 November 2017). "Former NHLer Craig Adams pledges brain to science". www.tsn.ca. TSN. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
External links
Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database